A public holiday and a chance to relax.
It must be said that Thailand is in such a state right now.
The political stand-off goes on between the yellows and the reds. Job losses are starting to filter through as it takes its toll on the economy. 5,000 losses at Thai Air and 30,000 in the motor manufacturing sector, and that's only what I am aware of. Multiple countries, like Japan, are pulling out and no sense can be had form the Thais, who seem so different in how they think from the rest of the world. T'would appear greed and deeply ingrained corruption rule the land and the as one party cannot accept the other they would rather burn the country than allow the other to claim victory. Madness, and yet it can be found at every level of Thai society as all Westerners here now and have to deal with on a daily basis.
China is getting mighty aggressive in the South China Sea, setting up oil rigs off the Vietnamese coast and mutiple ramming incidents with just about every nation is ASEAN. Wankers.
School is great but really hard work 50+ kids in a class and so tiring. So far I am keeping up with it and enjoy the laughs with the kids and my new assistant, Port, is a great guy.
Trying to play games in my spare minutes but have trouble getting into them right now.
Listening to The Who a lot, and enjoying Game of Thrones now that Vikings has ended.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Work Work Work then Holiday
Three days back at work then a holiday.
Wow. It was gruelling, and yet I really enjoyed it. This year I am teaching M2 and M5 (13 and 16 year olds) and I have a male assistant named Port. He is a gamer and a DOTA 2 player, which is a hardcore team game played worldwide. He's a nice guy. Quite nervous at the start but seems like a good bloke and normal.
Added to this class sizes are 50 students. I laid down the law stating that anyone messing about would instantly be kicked out and marked as absent. Having a Thai in the room should sort out behavoir.
So, Friday and a holiday. Just as well as my body is aching from working again.
I have spent the day gaming and searching and acquiring new games and playing old favourites, namely Panzer Corps.
Last night I went down to the town and met up with the boys. It was a lot of fun and the folks here are a crack. A big crowd of English and Americans and everyone gets along fine.
I'm quite keen to knock out some lessons on Powerpoint and develop my approach to teaching older kids. So far it's been fun and my secong year at this school has all the Thai people there that much friendlier towards me, as is usually the case.
The money from the house sale in Southsea came through and later this month we will buy the house in Sunnyview that we are renting now. That will mean an instant saving of 6,000 baht a month in rent which will be awesome. I also got a 3,000 baht a month increase at my school so we will have a lot more cash. Hell, maybe we can even like, go somewhere!
Game heaven at the moment. The list is;
Panzer Corps
Might and Magic Duel of Champions.
Blackguards (new one, downloading as I type)
Warhammer Quest (ipad)
Shadowrun Returns
All great.
TV. Vikings just ended season 2 and was fucking amazing. It's a must watch.
Game of Thrones is watchable but pretty boring.
Planning to extend the kitch at the house and we have to shear up the back of the house as the ground is falling away as we are on the egde of the site. Oi's family will do it to reduce costs. Having a bigger kitchen will be awesome as we both constantly cook. Then I will make an outdoors drinking corner.
Wow. It was gruelling, and yet I really enjoyed it. This year I am teaching M2 and M5 (13 and 16 year olds) and I have a male assistant named Port. He is a gamer and a DOTA 2 player, which is a hardcore team game played worldwide. He's a nice guy. Quite nervous at the start but seems like a good bloke and normal.
Added to this class sizes are 50 students. I laid down the law stating that anyone messing about would instantly be kicked out and marked as absent. Having a Thai in the room should sort out behavoir.
So, Friday and a holiday. Just as well as my body is aching from working again.
I have spent the day gaming and searching and acquiring new games and playing old favourites, namely Panzer Corps.
Last night I went down to the town and met up with the boys. It was a lot of fun and the folks here are a crack. A big crowd of English and Americans and everyone gets along fine.
I'm quite keen to knock out some lessons on Powerpoint and develop my approach to teaching older kids. So far it's been fun and my secong year at this school has all the Thai people there that much friendlier towards me, as is usually the case.
The money from the house sale in Southsea came through and later this month we will buy the house in Sunnyview that we are renting now. That will mean an instant saving of 6,000 baht a month in rent which will be awesome. I also got a 3,000 baht a month increase at my school so we will have a lot more cash. Hell, maybe we can even like, go somewhere!
Game heaven at the moment. The list is;
Panzer Corps
Might and Magic Duel of Champions.
Blackguards (new one, downloading as I type)
Warhammer Quest (ipad)
Shadowrun Returns
All great.
TV. Vikings just ended season 2 and was fucking amazing. It's a must watch.
Game of Thrones is watchable but pretty boring.
Planning to extend the kitch at the house and we have to shear up the back of the house as the ground is falling away as we are on the egde of the site. Oi's family will do it to reduce costs. Having a bigger kitchen will be awesome as we both constantly cook. Then I will make an outdoors drinking corner.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Looming School
Indeed, school is just a heartbeat away, and I am in near dread of the prospect.
It's been a pleasing holiday.
Tom came to stay last week. We headed up to Cabana beach and stayed at the Nana Beach Resort. It was sublime. Grace loved the pool and pricy bungalow. Tom stayed in the cheapee rooms down the road but lounged about in the expensive one during the day.
It was very fun. We had lots of drink with my Chumphon buddies who came up for the day and had Indian curries and White Russians in the evening.
Back at Sunnyview, Grace danced around Tom and we hit the pool a couple of times. I made Tom sit through six episodes of Vikings. It is compelling we both agreed. I am stunned by that show, and Ragnar Lothbrook is just awesome. Watch it.
It was great to see Tom (it's been a year) and we were mirthful and full of joy. I played some priceless Fry and Laurie sketches and the new 20-12 show which was fun.
He headed off to Koh Tao to continue his adventure.
In the meantime my house in Southsea has been sold. This lets us buy the house in Sunnyview with cash left over.
I celebrates tonight by buying a bottle of rum and a bottle of Gordon's gin.
This holiday has been mainly spent at home and I played plenty of games and really enjoyed it. I just love fantasy turn-based games. This summer I played;
Might and Magic Duel of Champions
World of Tanks.
Warhammer Quest
Borderlands 2
Card Hunter
All very compelling and fun.
I have been watching Viking and season 4 of Game of Thrones, and season 28 of Survivor which Oi likes.
Days have been spent drinking morning coffee, cooking baked spuds, taking Grace to the swimming pool, town, Natalie's house.
I made friends with a German chap in Sunnyview called Patrick. A good and clever guy in the diving business here.
It's been a pleasing holiday.
Tom came to stay last week. We headed up to Cabana beach and stayed at the Nana Beach Resort. It was sublime. Grace loved the pool and pricy bungalow. Tom stayed in the cheapee rooms down the road but lounged about in the expensive one during the day.
It was very fun. We had lots of drink with my Chumphon buddies who came up for the day and had Indian curries and White Russians in the evening.
Back at Sunnyview, Grace danced around Tom and we hit the pool a couple of times. I made Tom sit through six episodes of Vikings. It is compelling we both agreed. I am stunned by that show, and Ragnar Lothbrook is just awesome. Watch it.
It was great to see Tom (it's been a year) and we were mirthful and full of joy. I played some priceless Fry and Laurie sketches and the new 20-12 show which was fun.
He headed off to Koh Tao to continue his adventure.
In the meantime my house in Southsea has been sold. This lets us buy the house in Sunnyview with cash left over.
I celebrates tonight by buying a bottle of rum and a bottle of Gordon's gin.
This holiday has been mainly spent at home and I played plenty of games and really enjoyed it. I just love fantasy turn-based games. This summer I played;
Might and Magic Duel of Champions
World of Tanks.
Warhammer Quest
Borderlands 2
Card Hunter
All very compelling and fun.
I have been watching Viking and season 4 of Game of Thrones, and season 28 of Survivor which Oi likes.
Days have been spent drinking morning coffee, cooking baked spuds, taking Grace to the swimming pool, town, Natalie's house.
I made friends with a German chap in Sunnyview called Patrick. A good and clever guy in the diving business here.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Health Drive
Holiday is going well and after a pre end of term booze fest that lasted a few weeks I have managed to get on a health drive. This past week I have basically eaten only salad, and tons of it. My fatness came off very quickly. I have also been partaking in mild exercise, bike rides and walking about Sunnyview. Booze is still about but no heavily moderated and taking days off at a time. My body reacts quickly and very positively to the change. I also made a determined effort to cut out snacks which also worked out very well. And I guess from being with Grace 24-7 I get exercise from her.
Last night however I went to a BBQ of a German chap living here in Sunnyview. All my buddies were there. That's Martin (Irish), Mark (the Micheal Caine lookalike), Patrick (the German), Colin (lovely guy from Peterborough), Andy (don't really know him from Northern UK), Arun (great youngish lad from Blackburn and runs the private teaching class with his girlfriend where I work part time), Chris great English chap who loves cricket, ale and medieval battles. A great Saturday afternoon evening.
Now I am not working it gives me a chance to think, explore new ideas and do plenty of research on various projects.
Oi is fine and really enjoying her job at the school. Gracie is bouncing around is is happy all the time. We do our best to keep her stimulated and learning.
Last night however I went to a BBQ of a German chap living here in Sunnyview. All my buddies were there. That's Martin (Irish), Mark (the Micheal Caine lookalike), Patrick (the German), Colin (lovely guy from Peterborough), Andy (don't really know him from Northern UK), Arun (great youngish lad from Blackburn and runs the private teaching class with his girlfriend where I work part time), Chris great English chap who loves cricket, ale and medieval battles. A great Saturday afternoon evening.
Now I am not working it gives me a chance to think, explore new ideas and do plenty of research on various projects.
Oi is fine and really enjoying her job at the school. Gracie is bouncing around is is happy all the time. We do our best to keep her stimulated and learning.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Holiday Mode
I am on holiday...almost. We have been ordered to sign in every morning through all of March. Strange? Selfish? Wasteful? Certainly, but it's no great shakes for married me. I am at home anyway taking care of Gracie while wifey toils away at her school.
Being on holiday is wonderful, of course, and everything is done at a very leisurely pace. Coffee, TV, games, yoga, bike ride, walking about Sunnyview, all done like some Hollywood star.
Tom came to see me. It was so wonderful to see him after a year and we had a fun time. I took him to Cabana beach where we met up with my ex co-worker from San Fran (like Tom) and ate incredible pizza and lots of beer. The were both suitably impressed with the pizza, which is the best I have ever had; very authentic, thin, crispy and Divine toppings. We took the beach road home enjoying the afternoon ride amongst the tropical background and lush beaches.
Horrific state of events on the global scene right now. We are indeed entering a most evil phase where Man's technical ability far outdoes his emotions and manner. The aircraft disappearance is an extraordinary event to witness. There are so many possibilities as to what happened. A very dark matter indeed.
Been gaming big time and relishing Deus Ex Human Revolution - Director's Cut. A wonderful adventure with highly addictive upgrades to your person. A Bladerunner experience.
Another such game, Shadowrun is a sci-fi turn based detective yarn and a joy.
TV. Twenty Twelve is fun, Vikings - very enthralling and exciting.
Being on holiday is wonderful, of course, and everything is done at a very leisurely pace. Coffee, TV, games, yoga, bike ride, walking about Sunnyview, all done like some Hollywood star.
Tom came to see me. It was so wonderful to see him after a year and we had a fun time. I took him to Cabana beach where we met up with my ex co-worker from San Fran (like Tom) and ate incredible pizza and lots of beer. The were both suitably impressed with the pizza, which is the best I have ever had; very authentic, thin, crispy and Divine toppings. We took the beach road home enjoying the afternoon ride amongst the tropical background and lush beaches.
Horrific state of events on the global scene right now. We are indeed entering a most evil phase where Man's technical ability far outdoes his emotions and manner. The aircraft disappearance is an extraordinary event to witness. There are so many possibilities as to what happened. A very dark matter indeed.
Been gaming big time and relishing Deus Ex Human Revolution - Director's Cut. A wonderful adventure with highly addictive upgrades to your person. A Bladerunner experience.
Another such game, Shadowrun is a sci-fi turn based detective yarn and a joy.
TV. Twenty Twelve is fun, Vikings - very enthralling and exciting.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Working from Home
Marking time. We can do this at home. One could sense the distane at our glee as we arrived early morning to pick up the exam papers and flee back home. Jumping back on a motorcycle and shooting out of the school gates draws slow glares from the native teachers forced to stay there. I picked up some toasted sandwiches from 7-11 on the way home. Brewed a big pot of coffee and got stuck in.
At ten thirty I rode over to Tesco to pick up some mushrooms for the enormous spag bol I am about to make (as soon as Oi gets home with the Basil). All looking good.
I am preparing for some hardcore gametime. These days there are so many awesome games one has to be very careful to only play a select few, and to properly appreciate them as we did in days of yore. I have some nice titles awaiting play, quite unusual choices too; strategic, turn-based, fantasy, sci-fi. Yes, a very interesting mix. Also some casual ones for when the going gets tough. Like so many things these days, there are so many options, everything seems to lose it's value. Movies become unwatched, albums unlistened to, games unplayed. It's the curse of acquisition and being more addicted to acquiring than actually playing. A very strange phenomenon.
Don, Tom and Patrick are all on Koh Phang Nang, though I fear I will be unable to join them. It would be more than my monthly budget just to get there and stay a couple of nights. I fear it may have to be another time.
More marking tomorrow...
At ten thirty I rode over to Tesco to pick up some mushrooms for the enormous spag bol I am about to make (as soon as Oi gets home with the Basil). All looking good.
I am preparing for some hardcore gametime. These days there are so many awesome games one has to be very careful to only play a select few, and to properly appreciate them as we did in days of yore. I have some nice titles awaiting play, quite unusual choices too; strategic, turn-based, fantasy, sci-fi. Yes, a very interesting mix. Also some casual ones for when the going gets tough. Like so many things these days, there are so many options, everything seems to lose it's value. Movies become unwatched, albums unlistened to, games unplayed. It's the curse of acquisition and being more addicted to acquiring than actually playing. A very strange phenomenon.
Don, Tom and Patrick are all on Koh Phang Nang, though I fear I will be unable to join them. It would be more than my monthly budget just to get there and stay a couple of nights. I fear it may have to be another time.
More marking tomorrow...
Monday, March 3, 2014
Trying to Rest
It was the students test today. I went into the school. Although void of any character, the other Western teachers are great and we had a good old chin-wag to pass the time until the exams started. Everyone is quite mature and discussions often head back to the 80's and such. A rich crowd of individuals for sure. David, Karen, Les and Jason are all very different from each other, but also very entertaining.
After 5 hours with Gracie tonight I was desperate for a cider so rushed into town and got there just before he shut. Thank heaven. Taht sweet, sweet nectar.
After 5 hours with Gracie tonight I was desperate for a cider so rushed into town and got there just before he shut. Thank heaven. Taht sweet, sweet nectar.
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