First Unofficial Day of the Holidays

It's Saturday morning. I am quite free now really, though odds and ends remain. I have to waltz around the school on MOnday for about 30 minutes as my students do my exam, then I have to sign iun for the next two weeks every morning, and I have my private classes that will continue throughout the holidays. But, more or less, I am now on holiday.

Along with this goes looking after Gracie as Oi, being Thai, doesn't get too much holiday and will have to go to her school, and I will have to take care of Gracie who will be on holiday. A daunting task, though Oi has agreed to take Gracie to school some days so I can have some time to myself.  By the end of a busy day with Gracie I am ready to retire. She's hard work and wants to do things all the time, whereas I just want to relax in a chair and watch Downton Abbey.

I imagine in years to come it will get easier.

There's a few things I want to get started in the holidays. I want get get a table and chairs for outside, so I can sit in the garden and enjoy the quiet. I also want to do some gardening to make my little "Drinkers Corner" as tranquil as possible.

Then there's the cooking. I plan to get some hummus and chilli on the go very soon. Also, plenty of walking and bike rides. That should keep me healthy and busy enough.

One shall also attempt to get through Downton Abbey, more of Breaking Bad and some new ones I've discovered. Namely, The Pillars of the Earth and series 2 of "House of Cards" with Kevin Spacey.

Enjoy.

It has to be said how ridiculous the world is now.

The whole structure of civilisation is profoundly wrong that it is like a falling bird, unable to fly. Man simply cannot live by these means and it's totally out of control.

This perpetual state of failing governments, stress by economics and endless work.

I'm not sorry, but the fundamental laws of how Man lives are wrong. The Fall is so evident. The tragic, deliberate mistake. The design flaw which will make Man disappear like very other species so far. So capable, yet so ruled by such base desire.

Strange how we can't avoid the massive tsunami that we created. We can't escape from peaks and troughs, summer and winter, good times and bad.

And just one very short story in a universe.

AD&D: Long Lost memories of first adventures.

Sunday

Though feeling fat and useless, I managed to cut down on the booze this weekend and enjoyed moderate amounts to relative satisfaction. Yet, I am horrbily aware that I must soon circumvent an energy push to mould my loathsome mass of swadled flesh into some kind of a shape. Being in ones 40's, one is acutely aware that toppling over dead at a moments notice is a distinct possibilty. It's a terrible fight for Man and work is the biggest enemy. Designed to keep you indulging in abuse as precious moments are so hard to find. Having young ones adds to the desperate scene. Any form of escape taken in haste.

Argh!!!

Added to this, I have been experience ugly addiction to Might and Magic Legacy, restarting 3 times to build up the perfect party of Orc Barbarians, Mages, Elf Druids and Paladins such as to devestate any cumbersome wandering monster on the Asha Plains and beyond. I haven't felt or enjoyed such addiction since....? Thief? System Shock 2? I can't say. By the way, a new Thief game is to be released in a couple of days, tragically lacking the original voice of Garrett.

Steam

Approching the end of term and it can't come soon enough. I am in a kind of vortex of self depreciation which is directly proportional to the final, gruelling days of work.

I'm pretty tired but partying thing up a bit to much in my free time. I'm feeling a tad fat and out of shpae. Of course, I am planning a major return to fitness once the holidays begin and I shall be back on the juices and plenty of exercise.

Oi will be working all of March which means a fair proportion of my time will be spent with Grace who will be on holiday too. I need to keep one step ahead of her and have taxing events organised as soon as she wakes up, then I might get to chill out in the afternoon. We shall have to see.

It will be another month before we can get away due to Oi's school but I hope to get about a bit on the bike and keep myself fairly active. Looking forward to some major cooking too. Am planning an early batch of hummus and some red kidney bean chili.

The app Steam on my PC is proving dangerously addictive. I have purchased a few RPG games of yore, as right now I am thoroughly enjoying Might and Magic Legacy X and have extended my gaming to a few other titles. I have quite a backlog of games waiting to be played. As I have felt before, I am more addicted to buying these games than actually playing them. Luckily, I thought better of it and downloaded a couple of them off Kick Ass Torrents so saved myself a few quid. Work great too.

Anyone, in need of an RPG romp through the forests and castles of some imaginary land, might like a few of these games, namely Spellforce 2 and M&M Heroes VI.

Saturday Grace

It's a long weekend, though I have to teach some babies tomorrow at noon for two hours, which kind of screws up my game plan, but never mind.

Oi has taken herself off to the school to learn Burmese leaving moi to be with Princess Grace. It's hard work, trying to relax from work and fulfil all the demands of an aspiring princess. I've hit the stimulants which may counter act the situation and make matters infinitely worse. 

Added to this, and not wanting to go out today, as I rode many miles yesterday to the National Park swamp and Sari beach, I want to play some games. I have spent a few coppers from my UK account to get a few, new game titles that have caught my senses. I've picked up some nice titles.

Might and Magic X Legacy. Awesome RPG old style game play with new tech. Very fun with wonderful leveling up skill upgrades. Elves, barbarians, mages the full bit, blowing the crap out of every goblin or drak elf that dares to wander within spell range. Very absorbing and entertaining.

Car Crash something. Brilliant demolition derby. It's a Greenlight game, funded by dweebs and under continual development by sad Germans in a Berlin basement. But what fun! I read countless wonderful reviews and it sold me. Every want to smash up cars? This is the game to do it in.

Deux Ex. Human Revolution - The Director's Cut. This is as awesome as Bladerunner as a movie and set in a very similar environ.

I picked up the Tom Clancy Ghost Recon games of yore. You know, the one where you raid the ganja plantation. No, not that one! That was Far Cry 3!

World of Tanks still gets play and is recommended to anyone as the best game of all time.

Great games and all second or third tier.

Two weeks 'til freedom!

Freedom

Wow! Tomorrow is a public holiday and I am so pleased. I'm at the end of the road and toatlly exhausted having worked the past three weeks straight. Don't ask me why, it just happened.

To celebrate this momenous ocassion Karen, my co-worker from 'Sisco and I headed to the "Fish Tank". A booze shop full of aquariums and strange-looking, giant fish. They have a good liquer area, and I secured a bottle of Gordon's gin to make us for last weeks near death experience with Contessa gin. Rat poison in a bottle. It made me very sick for about four days. Beware, fellow adventurer of what evil mixyure has ended up in a bottle of handsome gin. 'Tis like something from Fafred and the Gray Mouser and the streets of Lankhmar, surely.

Along with the pretty gin came eight flagons of Savanna Cider too boot. As of now, I am two-thirds through and taking a breather from intoxication.

Looking forward to some rest. I will also cleverly do some teaching research to avoid cataphrophy next week.

Already I have sought exciting clips of Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark to whet the appetites of my students in their thirst for all things great.

Almost Over

Just a couple of weeks left before things start to slow down at school, though I think they have various bastard events lined up in an attempt to control us during the holidays. We shall do our best to avoid and not attend any such event. It's been quite a fun year really. The guys at work are great, even though we have been treated appallingly by our Thai superiors. I swear they would lock us in a cage if they could get away with it. Our boss, Rojo, who has six foreign teachers under her command has not mentioned anything about the end of term tests that we have to write and distribute. We have to work it out ourselves while she stomps around looking miserable or eating incessently at her desk with her ancient co-workers. She's a real fuckwit. She's as equally likely to glare at you or smile depending on her state of mind as you pass her in the corridors. Don't worry the feeling is mutual and everyone scarpers when they see her coming. The other day when she came in to tell us that no one was allowed to go home, everyone picked up their bags and went home, leaving her standing in the middle of the room in an angry haze of loathing and muted fury.

Two weeks and a day left to go...

Slave Pits of the Undercity

Exhausted

It's Saturday evening. I was forced to work all day by the idiot right-wing school director. It's horribly nationalistic here; ranting speeches and prolonged clapping every morning at assembly. Sometimes I imagine that they are marching into civil war, proud and strong. It's sad.

I have a case of Beer Lao that Lesley very kindly secured for me when he went to Makro. I went over to his place and after a chat brought it back on the bike. Beer Lao is not half bad, with a dark reddish colour and a distinct hoppy flavour. This makes it leagues ahead of the dreadful competition that Thailand allows its populus to drink. A rich few holding the tastebuds of an entire nation for a few extra Baht. Surely, a crime against humanity, if anyone had the sense to realise it.

Dominic has been about of late and his daughter, Natalie has become Grace's best friend from in the suburban oasis that is Sunnyview. Dominic insists it's Sunnyville. Somehow we must solve this mystery.

Elections tomorrow here in Thailand and it is tittering on blood and death on the streets. We shall see.

I am exhausted and working for the next 8 days straight. Oh dear me.