Nearly the weekend and getting to grips with working again. I've been very tired in the evening and crashing out at about nine.
However, the school is turning out quite nice. I can get salad, bags of fruit and a meal for 60 baht - cheap and healthy and every day.
I attempt to be in full control mode at all times deflecting shit extra work targetted at me and keeping the kids under control. Most classes are fine, but some have boy monkeys who can't sit still.
Private classes are rolling in and a lady appeared at the gate this week wanting lessons. 500 baht a pop, which can't be bad.
Weekends are spent taking Grace somewhere where she can be active and explore. She has a whale of a time. This weekend we are up to Cabana beach again and will stay overnight. A chance for some tasty burgers and chips for me. Ice cream, sandcastle and swimming for Grace.
Oi is working though will probably pull out next month as the school director is a fuckwit and changes everything all the time. Oi will be far better off teaching privates or working in a learning centre or something. She also has to organise my teaching schedule.
Brief, stolen moments for games and TV. I started watching Veep, a comedy about an idiot vice president which is hilarious and I watched most of Tron Legacy last night. The music and graphics made the movie. Nice to see Jeff Bridges too.
Gamewise I have been playing Chivalry. Free on Steam for a while and a multiplayer 1st person with swords, arrows and axes. It's great fun. A bit like the old Wolfenstein but with swords. Friendly fire causes hilarious situations as friends get hacked to death in the epic fury to slay the enemy.
An expansion to Might and Magic Duel of Champions has been delayed causing epic ripples across cyberspace. I was excited to get it but some folks can't hold back their anger. A shame because, after all, it's free and some kind Germans put the thing together for us in the first place. Joe Public is hardly in a position to start flaming them.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Friday Rocks Around...
Friday night and had a wonderful night out with the lads here.
I have to say, it is a most excellent crowd. They meet every Friday night at this bar by the train station called "Ecky's Bar". A very loose and chilled bunch, mainly Brits, enjoying a few beers and some banter. There are some real characters here. Salt of the Earth types who shared a joke and a laugh. The bar is a long, open, wooden shack with a pool table and a boxing ring! Out the back by the loos, last night I spied a big table of Thais playing cards and gambling away, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Jon, the chap from Essex, is a very lovely bloke and is always cracking jokes and has a very pleasing nature. Colin, is definetly worthy of mention, bald and in a state of constant "crack up". He was grooving on his own to the reggae band last week. He seems like he was very happy to escape England and what sounded like a very stressful life. He threw it all away and moved to Chum Pon to live a life of joy.
I should state that most of these guys have wives and kids and are pretty together guys, just very chilled. Most look like they have crawled from a beached shipwreck.
We had a great time and it looks like things could be really great for me here. Oi's coming up with all sorts of teaching ideas to market me to teach the locals. I think we will get pretty busy here and, hopefully, make some money.
It's great, Oi, me and Grace, are all prospering quite well.
Hat Yai had become very stagnant.
At the school I have my own classroom and I have a PC, projector and powerpoint. I have been learning how to use this program and am really enjoying it. I have made a couple of presentations for the kids and am in the process of making a "Shopping" one, with tons of cartoon conversations to repeat and photos of clothes, high tech shopping malls and markets. It's good fun. It's such a great tool. I showed them Peppa Pig which was funny for them. I've been playing Angels, Bombs and Guns, Hangman, Odd One Out and Back to the Board with them.
I just bought the new Call of Juarez game on Steam, so I must away and be cowboy.....
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Precious Time
So we are very busy in the Wilson household. Even Grace looked knackered when they rolled home at 5 this evening.
Oi is downstairs tapping away at her computer, perfecting some course brochure or something.
I am tucked away upstairs with my dim lighting, iron crab, wooden skull and metal scorpion friends as I explore the world of Neverwinter, fight desperate duels in M&M, or watch sci-fi Battlestar Galactica movies, as I did last night. Pure escapism, but we do lead very busy lives outside now, so I think it's perfectly justifiable to want some escape time in the evening.
Anyway, I am very excited as 103 new cards are being released for M&M next week and I can't wait to see what they are. What an amazing game.
Sid Meyer's Ace Squadron on the ipad is a high recommendation. Take to the air in WW1 biplanes and shoot down zeppelins and German ace fighters. Great fun.
Have had two great nights with the guys from work and other schools. Nearly everyone is English and having a hoot. Very loose and easy in the bars here. No rules apply and one can have a very chill little party. Oh yessiree!
Jon is probably the teacher I know best and hails from Essex. A cheery, big man and definitely from Essex and always very good natured. I expect I'll get a photo of them all soon, so you can know who they are.
Friday off this week, so looking forward to another 3 day long weekend. I'll be sure to get as much relaxing in as possible.
Oi is downstairs tapping away at her computer, perfecting some course brochure or something.
I am tucked away upstairs with my dim lighting, iron crab, wooden skull and metal scorpion friends as I explore the world of Neverwinter, fight desperate duels in M&M, or watch sci-fi Battlestar Galactica movies, as I did last night. Pure escapism, but we do lead very busy lives outside now, so I think it's perfectly justifiable to want some escape time in the evening.
Anyway, I am very excited as 103 new cards are being released for M&M next week and I can't wait to see what they are. What an amazing game.
Sid Meyer's Ace Squadron on the ipad is a high recommendation. Take to the air in WW1 biplanes and shoot down zeppelins and German ace fighters. Great fun.
Have had two great nights with the guys from work and other schools. Nearly everyone is English and having a hoot. Very loose and easy in the bars here. No rules apply and one can have a very chill little party. Oh yessiree!
Jon is probably the teacher I know best and hails from Essex. A cheery, big man and definitely from Essex and always very good natured. I expect I'll get a photo of them all soon, so you can know who they are.
Friday off this week, so looking forward to another 3 day long weekend. I'll be sure to get as much relaxing in as possible.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Workin'
At school. I have long periods of time between classes. They say they make it like that to keep you here all day. But, it's not so bad. I can go home anytime between 2 and 4 in the afternoon.
It's very peaceful here and I can have a chance to relax, think and carry on little projects.
The private work is starting to trickle in so I have been preparing classes for that aswell.
Grace is at school now and the first day she kept running off the see mummy in her classroom and wandering about the school. Oi was quite upset and we started thinking of changing her school. Fortunately, the next day she stayed with her own teacher all day and yesterday she was pretty much perfect. Oi said Grace went passed her classroom with her own group and just waved and called, "Hello, mummy" before carrying on.
Precious downtime is now spent chilling out. I got a swim in on Sunday. I went to the pool at Sunnyview which was fine actually. It's big enough to do some lengths and I did enough to take away the aches and pains. I will continue this strategy as it seems to work. Otherwise, I am running about and going up and down stairs so much that I probably don't have to do too much else in terms of exercise.
Back to class....
It's very peaceful here and I can have a chance to relax, think and carry on little projects.
The private work is starting to trickle in so I have been preparing classes for that aswell.
Grace is at school now and the first day she kept running off the see mummy in her classroom and wandering about the school. Oi was quite upset and we started thinking of changing her school. Fortunately, the next day she stayed with her own teacher all day and yesterday she was pretty much perfect. Oi said Grace went passed her classroom with her own group and just waved and called, "Hello, mummy" before carrying on.
Precious downtime is now spent chilling out. I got a swim in on Sunday. I went to the pool at Sunnyview which was fine actually. It's big enough to do some lengths and I did enough to take away the aches and pains. I will continue this strategy as it seems to work. Otherwise, I am running about and going up and down stairs so much that I probably don't have to do too much else in terms of exercise.
Back to class....
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Busy Life
Wow!
Working hard and being busy.
School is going fine. I attempt to keep way above the kids with japs, cutting comments, plenty of banter in Thai and "stand up and speak" fingers at as many kids as I can possibly fit into the 50 minute periods. It seems to work. I know the beginning is crucial and I went in with a light sabre, dismembering any shit head kids.
This week, the second, and I am not as exhausted as I was last week. I can still do stuff at home before crashing, and I try to stay up a bit to get some gaming in, or watch a movie or TV series.
I finished Game of Cards season one, which was incredible.
And I watched Margin Call, with Spacey which was amazing and about the 2008 financial meltdown.
In Might and Magic Duel of Champions I am starting to soar and become a killer player. I really love this game and a new expansion with 103 new cards is coming out at the end of May, so I am excited about that. The artwork and community of players is top drawer and some really cool guys help out on the forums.
I have started playing another Beta game, Neverwinter Dungeons and Dragons, which is pretty fun too.
Sudden Strike Forever awaits game play with brother Rob and comrade Peter at our convenience. It took a while to find a decent release which will allow multiplayer and this one has a ton of maps. Let's hope it proves good.
I also went ahead and bought Company of Heroes through Steam, along with zombie bashing Dead Island.
Chum Pon is fine and tranquil. I am so glad we are here where nearly every aspect of living is better than Olde Hat Yai. I keep having to remind myself how beautiful it is here.
I take the slow road to school, down the dirt track and under the railway bridge where you have to duck your head to avoid a collision. It's a lovely ride every morning.
I went for a drink with Jon from school and some of his English buddies. In fact they are all English apart from a lady from San Francisco who started yesterday.
Grace starts school proper on Thursday though she has been accompanying Oi as she prepares for the start of the new term. I fear she will be leagues ahead of the babies that make up a usual Kindergarten One class.
Though cash is tight this month, I sneaked in a couple of London Pride's to lighten my evening. How wonderful it is to relish that flavour on my palette right now.
So, right now I am pretty busy, but as yet, surviving fairly well. Hopefully in a couple of months I will have some private work and start taking command of the board. It is just a game, after all.
Working hard and being busy.
School is going fine. I attempt to keep way above the kids with japs, cutting comments, plenty of banter in Thai and "stand up and speak" fingers at as many kids as I can possibly fit into the 50 minute periods. It seems to work. I know the beginning is crucial and I went in with a light sabre, dismembering any shit head kids.
This week, the second, and I am not as exhausted as I was last week. I can still do stuff at home before crashing, and I try to stay up a bit to get some gaming in, or watch a movie or TV series.
I finished Game of Cards season one, which was incredible.
And I watched Margin Call, with Spacey which was amazing and about the 2008 financial meltdown.
In Might and Magic Duel of Champions I am starting to soar and become a killer player. I really love this game and a new expansion with 103 new cards is coming out at the end of May, so I am excited about that. The artwork and community of players is top drawer and some really cool guys help out on the forums.
I have started playing another Beta game, Neverwinter Dungeons and Dragons, which is pretty fun too.
Sudden Strike Forever awaits game play with brother Rob and comrade Peter at our convenience. It took a while to find a decent release which will allow multiplayer and this one has a ton of maps. Let's hope it proves good.
I also went ahead and bought Company of Heroes through Steam, along with zombie bashing Dead Island.
Chum Pon is fine and tranquil. I am so glad we are here where nearly every aspect of living is better than Olde Hat Yai. I keep having to remind myself how beautiful it is here.
I take the slow road to school, down the dirt track and under the railway bridge where you have to duck your head to avoid a collision. It's a lovely ride every morning.
I went for a drink with Jon from school and some of his English buddies. In fact they are all English apart from a lady from San Francisco who started yesterday.
Grace starts school proper on Thursday though she has been accompanying Oi as she prepares for the start of the new term. I fear she will be leagues ahead of the babies that make up a usual Kindergarten One class.
Though cash is tight this month, I sneaked in a couple of London Pride's to lighten my evening. How wonderful it is to relish that flavour on my palette right now.
So, right now I am pretty busy, but as yet, surviving fairly well. Hopefully in a couple of months I will have some private work and start taking command of the board. It is just a game, after all.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
New School
I'm writing this from my desk at my new school in Chum Phon.
I'm in an air conditioned room which I share with four other English English teachers and a Filipino. It's all rather comfy. It's very refreshing for me to talk to other Brits and they are all fairly mature and decent folk. I'd say the school were lucky to have them.
It's a big school and a lot of fun for me. I'm teaching 14-15 year olds and class sizes are 25 students which is very manageable. I went straight in with a rod of iron to dominate and gain total control of the class. Any brats vying for attention are ridiculed and the subject of scorn to quel them of any desire to disrupt the class. So far the kids have been great and it's lovely to see some eyes shining with the acknowledgement of knowledge received and appreciated.
I try to teach them everything I know about not being shy and to speak often to quickly improve.
Coming home I have been exhausted, my legs aching for 5 flights of stairs and the physical strain of working. I feel buzzed, like I have just walked 30 miles with Jonathan Snowdon, but hopefully I will get used to it and be able to enjoy homelife without falling asleep. And I really do want some time to play PC games for myself.
Grace and Oi have gone to their school and have lots of stories to tell. Grace is very dominant and demanding, wanting to know everything and even dragged the teacher off to a cave near the temple next to the school. They had to tell her there was a big snake in there to stop her from going further in. She's a lot more active than the other kids and we hope there won't be any problems. It should be okay.
So, now I'm on a track of work that will take me to October, and it's much more demanding than my old job where I finished at 11:30 in the morning. I will have to start utilizing my time again and being more efficient.
More later....
I'm in an air conditioned room which I share with four other English English teachers and a Filipino. It's all rather comfy. It's very refreshing for me to talk to other Brits and they are all fairly mature and decent folk. I'd say the school were lucky to have them.
It's a big school and a lot of fun for me. I'm teaching 14-15 year olds and class sizes are 25 students which is very manageable. I went straight in with a rod of iron to dominate and gain total control of the class. Any brats vying for attention are ridiculed and the subject of scorn to quel them of any desire to disrupt the class. So far the kids have been great and it's lovely to see some eyes shining with the acknowledgement of knowledge received and appreciated.
I try to teach them everything I know about not being shy and to speak often to quickly improve.
Coming home I have been exhausted, my legs aching for 5 flights of stairs and the physical strain of working. I feel buzzed, like I have just walked 30 miles with Jonathan Snowdon, but hopefully I will get used to it and be able to enjoy homelife without falling asleep. And I really do want some time to play PC games for myself.
Grace and Oi have gone to their school and have lots of stories to tell. Grace is very dominant and demanding, wanting to know everything and even dragged the teacher off to a cave near the temple next to the school. They had to tell her there was a big snake in there to stop her from going further in. She's a lot more active than the other kids and we hope there won't be any problems. It should be okay.
So, now I'm on a track of work that will take me to October, and it's much more demanding than my old job where I finished at 11:30 in the morning. I will have to start utilizing my time again and being more efficient.
More later....
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Sudden Strike games go free
Trying to find a suitable game to play for brother Rob, I purchased Company of Heroes (2006) on Steam for 10 dorra.
Then, by lucky chance, I found all of the treasured Sudden Strike games have all been made free legitimately.
multiplayer is on Sudden Strike 2. Link below;
http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/sudden-strike2/
If you want to play. Buzz me.
Then, by lucky chance, I found all of the treasured Sudden Strike games have all been made free legitimately.
multiplayer is on Sudden Strike 2. Link below;
http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/sudden-strike2/
If you want to play. Buzz me.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Last Days of Freedom
I start teaching next Tuesday.
I went in on Wednesday as I thought we had a preliminary meeting, but I was wrong. There was no meeting, but I did meet and chat with some of the Thai staff who all seemed very pleasant.
So, I am on my last days of the holiday. It has been fun. We haven't done a lot and much of the last week has been waiting for my last paycheck from Smart to come through. There has been some horrible things going on back in Hat Yai, but, for the moment at least I am sworn to secrecy. One day I shall tell all. Looks like we got out at the right time, though, as I like to remind Oi, I did want to leave last year.
So, we have been ambling our days, lying about playing games, watching TV shows, trips to the shops, swimming pool, playground and out and about the local countryside.
I have really enjoyed some of the TV shows. Searching through Metacritic for the best ones, then downloading and viewing. I really like Game of Cards with Kevin Spacey, Pie in the Sky with Richard Griffiths and Vikings. Game of Thrones should be Game of Groans or Drones. God! Is it boring. Long scenes of someone moaning. It looks great but its boring to watch. Such a shame.
Gamewise Might and Magic Duel of Champions reigns supreme. I also bought Dead Island which is a Zombie bashing fest from 2011, and now a cheapee. I bought it through Steam, along with the excellent Skyrim and Far Cry 3.
Today the pay came through and I bought a giant salami for 680 baht. I then proceeded to make scrummy French bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, salami and onions. London Pride is back in so I bought a couple of those and a bottle of gin. Actually, when I first arrived in Chumpon I found Gilbey's gin (the cheapest (they also make vodka) in a shop in the town for 390 baht. I thought that wasn't too bad. Then I saw the same bottle in Tesco for 320 baht and then again in Makro for 295 baht. You can guess where I buy it. Makro is also best and cheapest for tonic.
Making great food and drinks is something that my mum taught me and you can never lose with it. Cheap to buy and delicious. Lots of onions and garlic lightly fried in olive oil.
It's definitely time for Grace to head to school. She's getting a little too comfortable around the house, demanding milk and Charlie and Lola at any time of the day. Time for some strange teacher to put her in her place I think.
I went in on Wednesday as I thought we had a preliminary meeting, but I was wrong. There was no meeting, but I did meet and chat with some of the Thai staff who all seemed very pleasant.
So, I am on my last days of the holiday. It has been fun. We haven't done a lot and much of the last week has been waiting for my last paycheck from Smart to come through. There has been some horrible things going on back in Hat Yai, but, for the moment at least I am sworn to secrecy. One day I shall tell all. Looks like we got out at the right time, though, as I like to remind Oi, I did want to leave last year.
So, we have been ambling our days, lying about playing games, watching TV shows, trips to the shops, swimming pool, playground and out and about the local countryside.
I have really enjoyed some of the TV shows. Searching through Metacritic for the best ones, then downloading and viewing. I really like Game of Cards with Kevin Spacey, Pie in the Sky with Richard Griffiths and Vikings. Game of Thrones should be Game of Groans or Drones. God! Is it boring. Long scenes of someone moaning. It looks great but its boring to watch. Such a shame.
Gamewise Might and Magic Duel of Champions reigns supreme. I also bought Dead Island which is a Zombie bashing fest from 2011, and now a cheapee. I bought it through Steam, along with the excellent Skyrim and Far Cry 3.
Today the pay came through and I bought a giant salami for 680 baht. I then proceeded to make scrummy French bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, salami and onions. London Pride is back in so I bought a couple of those and a bottle of gin. Actually, when I first arrived in Chumpon I found Gilbey's gin (the cheapest (they also make vodka) in a shop in the town for 390 baht. I thought that wasn't too bad. Then I saw the same bottle in Tesco for 320 baht and then again in Makro for 295 baht. You can guess where I buy it. Makro is also best and cheapest for tonic.
Making great food and drinks is something that my mum taught me and you can never lose with it. Cheap to buy and delicious. Lots of onions and garlic lightly fried in olive oil.
It's definitely time for Grace to head to school. She's getting a little too comfortable around the house, demanding milk and Charlie and Lola at any time of the day. Time for some strange teacher to put her in her place I think.
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