Blog has been moved...

Hello.

I confess, I'm a massive novice to blogging, and am also horrible with decisions, so have found myself more concerned with changing the layouts of my blog than with the actual content of the blog. Sigh. I suppose I want my blogging to be surrounded by a comfortable environment. Or something. ...

With that in mind...(?!), FYI - I have decided to move my blog over to another platform. Yes you've guessed it - Wordpress.

You can find my new blog by clicking HERE.

Grumble grumble..

Today was full of grumbles...

Grumble number 1: What is it that people have such an issue with me biting my nails?!
I was told by a guy today, (who I had just met) that I 'need' to stop biting my nails. What is it to you if I do or don't?  Ugh that word 'need'!!!

Grumble number 2: When I have my headphones in on a coach, that means I'm listening to music. No it's not an invitation to talk to me! When you lean forward so you are directly in my line of vision so I can't ignore you, you're putting your need to have a conversation with someone above my needs to.. well.. not have a conversation with anyone. I feel like you are demanding conversation out of me, and immediately my estimation of you is pretty low.....

Grumble number 3 (and this really gets me, and not just today): People not learning Thai, or rather actively not learning Thai.
As per conversation with aforementioned man on coach, 'God no I don't speak Thai.' Says he. 'It cuts straight through me. The way they say leeeeeooooow, God! No I'm not learning Thai!'
So you just expect everyone to speak English to you?! That's pretty lazy. If you're here for a while, it makes sense to learn the basics at least right?! I think it's really rude to just expect, I often feel quite embarrassed when I am with a Thai person and they have to do the ordering/etc for me, though I am learning (slowly). I think if you live in a country you should be prepared to learn the language, at least try a little bit. Part of the culture of a country is the language.
What is most irritating is the hypocritical element to it though. Us native English speakers have it all sorted don't we. We expect foreigners to speak English in our countries, and they do, or they at least try. If they don't, we think it's most odd. So why do we get let off the hook?

Phew. Anyway.

I am happy however, as I bought a bottle of red today. Now I just need to buy a corkscrew... and a wine glass...

Oh! And I have this....

Burlesque...

Just watched Burlesque on HBO.... during Christina Aguilera's audition (unfortunately can't find a full clip on you tube) I couldn't help but think of the below F&S sketch...

Ahhhhh I love French and Saunders.

Not massively impressed by the film, guess it's ok, like a cross between Moulin Rouge and Chicago or something. Ah well, it passed the time!!

Yoga time

I'm finding it expensive to go to Yoga classes in the city. I love Yoga Elements in Central Chidlom, but they've just put their prices up. Sad times.

This lady therefore is a YouTube Godsend.

My ten day yoga resolution - Thank you Esther!

Schools are shut

Yup, the schools are pretty much all shut until 21st Nov. At least that's what the situation currently is, there is a lot of potential for it to change. The week before last I was off work, last week I was back to work until Thursday when we had a meeting, and were told not to go in on Friday, and not to come in this week.

Flood barriers are definitely still up!

I still haven't been flooded! Which is pretty good - but I have no idea whether it will stay that way. One moment we are told the flood is going down (by the media), the next minute there is a second wave approaching...

I don't know whether I'm coming or going.

Unfortunately... not working means not getting paid full wages. Which means when I do get paid I will have enough to pay my rent and not much more. All the other teachers are in exactly the same boat, and some of the newer teachers even worse off - at least I've got one week of full pay, they weren't working last week at all so they don't get anything.

So we are all very bored and considerably miserable in Bangkok. We can't afford to go away, we can't afford to do anything, and sightseeing is mostly out of the question anyway as it's flooded or hard to get to. Or expensive.

Bummer.

Bit of a splash in the pool

Last night some of the guys had a house party (they have a massive apartment with at least 4 bedrooms that they all share, and a pool - not a bad set up at all!) and we all drank and swam and drank some more and stayed up practically all night, some of them even saw the sunrise... We all shared cheap gin and whiskey and rum and hideous plum wine that someone bought in mistake thinking it was beer. Because.. well, we could. It's not like we have work tomorrow... or the day after, or the day after that.... There was definitely a depressed atmosphere. But at the same time a sort of shared depression, a kind of mutual understanding. For the most part it was very fun. Though when I woke up (after crashing out in my damp bikini in amongst some sofa cushions on the floor) I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

I can't spend next week doing nothing. I cannot. I will go crazy.

Although I can't really afford it..... I have decided to set myself a challenge of going to yoga classes everyday next week. Starting tomorrow. I love yoga and miss it terribly. I haven't done it for 2 months now, and in the UK I only really went once a week. I have tried the video approach - but I didn't bring my yoga mat here to Thailand and my wooden floor hurts, and I find I am much more motivated in a class setting. Plus, I consider myself a beginner, even though I have done yoga on and off since uni (3 years ago) - I've dabbled in different types and had long stretches where I didn't practise. I've never really really learnt the basics. I always always want to do more yoga and be more focussed on it, but life tends to get in the way (or rather, I let it get in the way). So here is my chance. Again, I shouldn't really be spending the money... I may have to live off of plain rice next month... but, I really can afford the time. And I think it may be just what I need at the moment to silence my mind and help me get myself and my life into perspective.

I am also going to try and find some more places to eat...! I tend to hang around in the same places, and eat the same food which is boring.

Floods

It's very pink.

As I walked into my apartment building this afternoon, I was ushered over to the front desk, to be given a large pink bin, complete with lid, which I had to sign for.

At first I was unsure as to what this was for. It seemed an odd present for my parents to send... 'We give for water' assured the receptionist. Ahhhh it's for the floods. Could I fit in it, put the lid on and stay dry in case there was a flash flood? Maybe I was supposed to use it as a boat by sitting in it and sticking my arms over the top? But then I wouldn't be able to see where I was paddling to. No that couldn't be it.

The notice in the lift told me that it was in fact for water, in case the water supply gets shut off or contaminated - I should stock up. D'oh. Of course that's what it's for.

It's hard to imagine my area of Bangkok being flooded, I have to say. Ok, so there's no water anywhere, and a lot of the 7/11s have hardly any food. Our favourite food restaurant is closed, there are sandbags and impromptu walls being built everywhere... but it was such a warm sunny day today, and it hasn't rained for a couple of days... though of course it's not really about the rain in the slightest.

I haven't been particularly worried at all. No one at our office has been either. Until this afternoon. Seeing the flood map so far.... it's like we're on an island surrounded by sea. And the island is only going to get smaller...

People are panicking. However... they also panicked last weekend and nothing happened. in my area.

The dilemma is whether to leave Bangkok, or to stay and hedge our bets.

Not because I think it will flood in my area necessarily, but because food and water supplies aren't getting through! And what if electricity is shut off? But do I want to potentially get stuck outside Bangkok with diminishing funds of money?

Dilemma.

My supplies... most important are obviously the chocolate and the tea.

Lots of cameras....

So... it seems that actually there are a lot of toy cameras around Bangkok. MBK has quite a lot, I actually got of the skytrain to fall over a tiny little shop called 'Holga'...

*ahem*

Sells cheap film, so got a few rolls... to put in this baby...

which I just bought. It's a Recesky TLR, and I completely geeked out and made it from a kit, using only a pair of tweezers... as I had no small screwdriver to hand!

So now I get to take some cool pictures to document my trip with. Gonna pop out to Benjasari Park in a minute and take a test roll. I am excited!

The instructions were in English luckily..!

Hopefully that will take my mind off the fact that my wisdom tooth on the bottom right is pushing and pushing :( talk about painful! The last time this happened it was about a year ago. The whole right side of my jaw feels like it's swollen. Moan moan moan.

I've hardly written about teaching at all since I've started this blog. I haven't really started yet though, I've just been teaching 3 and 4 year olds at a summer camp, so that's only in the morning. It's quite challenging.... bless them, I feel like they can hardly speak/write their own language nevermind English. But I'm getting there, the last week has been better than the first. Looking forward to properly developing my teaching style over the next year here!

I've met quite a few of the new teachers over the past couple of weeks, and they all seem really nice. A lot of them have gone off travelling to various islands as they don't start til tomorrow. I've also made some other various friends, so I am meeting up with a couple to go to the food market on soi 38 a bit later. Love soi 38! Som tam and seafood and curries and dim sum and mango and sticky rice and shakes... mmmmmm

Favourite food so far = this:

 Khao mun gai and som tam... I feel slightly unadventurous!