2014

Well, here we are in another year.

We've had a fun family time, which I knew to make the most of for young Gracie.

We had Christmas which was fun and she got her enormous Playmobil dolls house. I know how important it is to have epic toys and this is one. I loved my toys when I was a kid and I want Grace to have great fun with her toys. I have already overheard many domestic re-enactments going on in the minuter world.

Then on Monday we went to Grandma Noi's farm and had a fun day walking to the neighbours house through the rubber trees and across the small river at the back of the plot. Grace can play with her two cousins, Ot and Axe. She has a great time.

Then yesterday I suggested we head to the beach. It was a good idea as there was some entertainment going on. She had a cracking time making sandcastles and rolling about in the sea, before gazing in awe at the fireworks. Unfortuantely for me, I had the misfortune of being violently sick in the middle of the night. I had probably overdone it on the fine food and beer. I thought I was going to die but felt much better immediately after.

Back at home and school tomorrow. I have marked the students exams and am idly making a lesson for the morrow.

Mum will arrive soon and in a couple of months we will break for the Summer. Hopefully all good things to look forward to on the horizon.

Saturday

Saturday morning and we are now all on holiday. Grace is so active now it often becomes way too much for my delicate misdemeanour. It's hard to remain calm at times with the constant tsunami of questions and demands. However, she is a very happy kid and very alert, which is a good thing. We try to take it in turns amusing her, while the other gets some much needed downtime, and we run a pretty fair ship.

Oi had some friends over last night for a dinner. I retired early and got some well needed rest, fading out to Melvin Bragg discussing the divine rite of kings.

This Thief mod is really amazing. Though I know most people have no interest in video games at all, this one is a master that is surprisingly seductive even fdor the most skeptic person. Dark medievil streets, hiding in shadows. Creeping through an open window, picking locks and looting golden treasures. And of course there is the hilarious coughs, moans and comments from the guards, priests, maids and nobles that inhabit the game. There appears to be a lot of user written missions on a new engine which is superior to the official Thief game. There are new options and control features too, but the core remains very true to the original. It's a game that has you quitting in frustration when the guards spots you and slices you up, only to log in again a few minutes later to try again.

Looking at a few days break now and will do my darnest to enjoy it to the full. I got a Mean Green soaking in water which will put me in good stead. You feel like you've been injected with a powerful stimulant when you drink one of those things. It's so stinking strong your whole body is reacting to it.

I had been indulging in sausages and bacon of late and drinking a faie spot of wine, and the 'roids came back. I did my best to fight back by drinking lots of water, vitamin C, sitting in warm water and even sticking a warm teabag on it (thanks, Pete. Tea from Ceylone). I also stuffed down a banana I found at work and ate some vegetables at Oi's dinner party. This morning I feel no pain and have yet to quaff the Meanest Green.

My body is actually holding together quite well, considering I am not exercising. I have been keeping the yoga going and my diet is normally pretty healthy. The ten or so stretching exercises I found on the Net for lower back pain, all help to relieve pain. It's great that something like yoga can make such a difference.

So, some free time ahead. I hope Grace won't be demanding trips to Play World too much


 

Holiday Mode

Today, being Friday, I should be attending a school sports day, however I am being naughty and not going. In fact the only person who is going is Karen, who was cornered by the evil Rojo as she went to sign in yesterday. It's laughable how we are treated, but becoming more apparent the inability of Rojo to control her staff.

So today I can relax on my own until five, when I must go and do a private class for an hour.

I have been playing some interesting games. I bought Thief 1: The Dark Project which I have never actually played. Thief 2: The Metal Age is one of my most favourite games of all time. I discovered this morning The Dark Mod, which is a community based Thief world using a better engine and user developed missions. Looks like a lot of fun. And it's free to download, Peter.

Also been playing the excellent Panzer Corps on the ipad.

Grace got her playmobil dollhouse on Christmas Day. Boxing day she stayed home with me so she could play with her toys. I took her to a restaurant in the town where she has fried rice and I have spaghetti carbonara.

My Favourite Tank - Hellcat

This tank is great fun, very fast and a powerful gun. It's tier 6, so quite up there really.

In Chumpon, Jon, Lesley and Colin are all nightly players. We make platoons together to join forces and wipe out the opposing team. Though, it must be said, Les is the best team player. When he and I team up we invariably form a pincer and squeeze enemy tanks. One time we took out more than half the other team between us.

Time Out for Fun

Two days into my break and at home with Gracie again while Oi is at a camp.

I've got straight back into cooking, rediscovering how eating scrummy food puts all the delight into being alive.

Yesterday morning Gracie and I zoomed over to Makro and had a whirlwind around the store. There is plenty of Christamas goodies there so Grace was in awe and very excited. I stocked up on veggies and my new find, Cumberland sausages (very tasty) and I a pack of bacon. All had been recommended and explained to me by the local teachers here. Bloody Hell, is it good!

I've been eating bacon sarnies, bacon and eggs with fried bread and sausages with saute potatoes so far. A positive gorge fest. I acquired a few bottles of South African cider the other day which goes down a treat. Thinking about it, I might repeat that tonight actually. Last night I was back on Leo which brought me straight back to poor Thai beer. Something they should be ashamed of if they knew any different.

Added to this, one of my all time favourite games became available on the ipad last night, Panzer Corps. A table top WW2 strategy game which is generally regarded among the high brow veterans of such things as the best and quinessential game of its era. It dates back a few years, but plays like a fine wine. Authentic german voices congratulate you on your success and scorn you when you fail. It's an epic game. This format means I can play in bed with headphones late at night.

BTW, this game can be played over the Net (multiplayer) and its turn based. Perfect for friends and family to get together with. Hint Hint. ANd you might want to start soon as we are getting rather old.

These things should keep me occupied for the interim and beyond

Christmas Looms

Christmas is coming and I'm off school until the new year, though they very kindly arranged for me to have to go and supervise exams on Christmas day. I'm going to take Grace with me to stir things up a bit.

In a bit of a tight spot right now with diminishing cash reserves and trying to sell the house in UK. Hopefully it will all come through all right. We should be able to buy a house outright here, if all goes according to plan. We've seen a nice one nearby and we quite like the one we are in now too. Choices, choices.

Pirate Bay has given me 9 Chuck Prophet albums since I lost everything when my hard drive blew up and I have acquired a few other discographies.

I've been trying to see the boys quite often, namely Jon, Les and Colin. All are English, broke and funny.

At home with Grace again as her school closes as often as mine. Oi has to go and do a camp for the next three days.

Pleasure comes in the form of morning coffee, In Our Time archive, World of Tanks and looking at the countryside and talking to Gracie, of course.

On the global scene...well.

Beer for Wine

A Friday evening and feeling very restless. A desperate urge to get out of the house and mix with men. I don't know why, or maybe I do, if I could be bothered to think about it.

Unfortunately, my few sources of entertainment are already engaged, or doing stuff I don't care to do. Also, living out of town I have to be very careful about remaining rather sober for the grim ride home.

I've been drinking wine of late. Lesley put me onto the 5 litre boxes of Mont Clare. It's agreeable for sure, but I have found I'm not really laughing with it, like I do with beer. So tonight, after feeling a bit glum, I popped out and picked up some crap beer, and yes, after merely a sip, I feel a lighter, funner buzz that can brighten my mood. It must the the chemicals in it I was missing.

Oi and I are both having nightmare times at our respective school. Idiots abound and destroy any hope of progression or goodness. Some of these fuckwits would astound you. It's amazing they remember to breath. Neither of us now if we will last. I haven't really thought about Hat Yai too much, but boy the folks there were fairly smart upstairs. Oi's school is riddled with gossip and slack, superior teachers deciding if they are going to teach that day or not, while at my school, they communicate with the native English teachers by sticking notes on our door stating that we are required to work on Sunday to make up for the day they took off to protest. I won't be going, nor will my colleagues.

Grace is full on, and it's hard to remain calm at all times with her constant demands.

I am hoping relief will come soon, in magical form.

Solace is found in ipad game Sorcery, a book-game adventure, wandering through a desolate land with birds chirping and wind blowing through super headphones. I was loving it as my crippled body lay on the mattress - almost transported to strange lands.

Movies and TV I find almost impossible to watch. I just can't engage, even though I would love too.

My back pains are still lingering and sitting down, or to be more accurate getting up, proves horribly sore. I am almost at the stage where I just have to keep standing up at all times.

Hmmm.....I need to hone my alignments to achieve harmony once more.