TGIF- a habit of a lifetime- down to the pub after school as teachers will and have a few pints at the celtic. I've become so used to the taste of Guiness here that I cant remember what a Dublinpint tastes like - I do remember when I first came saying " there is nothing like a pint in Dublin"

Some 15 years ago the brother in law rang me from Dublin and said " do you want to see your ma before she goes or are you comin' for the funeral? You'll have to be quick. The only travel I could organise at haste was a flight to Hong Kong from Auckland, thence to Frankfurt and then Aer Lingus to Dublin. In Auckland I saw that Jamieson's Whiskey was only $16 a bottle ( about 3 irish quid at that time)- I bought 6 bottles without knowing the limits. When I got on the plane in Frankfurt I discovered there were only two types of passengers on the plane - the Irish symphony orchestra and me. In Dublin they were whisked through customs and I was left to face 6 customs men nervously clutching my bag of 6 bottles.
" Do you have anything to declare?" asked the beefy red-faced Kerryman amongst them.
" Eh, I have 6 bottles of Jamiesons 'cos I didn't know...."
" What the fuck are you doing bringing Irish whisky into Ireland?"
" Well in Auckland it only cost me about 3 quid a bottle"
" What 3 quid, Jaysus lads lets hire a plane!" " and on yer bike you"

Me ma passed away 2 days after I returned- her only son that she hadnt seen for some 20 years. The Guiness tasted greta that year in Dublin

Did I say decile 3? - I did- but thats a socioeconomic categorization of school communities. I should perhaps have mentioned the kids in my y10 maths class( yes I have to teach that as well as chem) they are as mad a bunch of maniacs and as uncontrollable as a room full of blowflies. They do my head in- I'm in front of them now

Irishmen abroad are always (well, nearly always) called Paddy. So it is with me- 45 years since I lived in Dublin and graduated from UCD, yet still talk like a Dubliner,think and drink like a Dubliner. How I finally got here to the Antipodes via Scandinavia, Pommieland and Morocco, well, sin sceal eile.

My passions in life are chemistry, golf, soccer, crosswords, but most of all, the beautiful Korean lady that I live with. I have to teach in a low decile school to keep a shirt on my back and food on the table.