A midweek oasis, a day off. Oi is working and Grace is at school, so I am totally alone.
I have been exploring the iPad and downloaded a few practical apps; a word processor, recommended by Stephen Fry no less, an art set for some cool drawing and painting, and a notebook type thingy. All look fun.
Things have been a bit humdrum lately, or so my deluded self keeps telling me. I suppose we all have to come down sometimes so we can feel great again. My life is fairly cosy really. More and more I appreciate being married and my cocoon with Oi And the naughty Gracie. Grace is really bouncing around these days and spewing verbal nonsense at high speed. These days I am making houses for her on the bed out of pillows and blankets. She climbs inside, lies down for a bit and then pulls it apart. Then she says, "Daddy make a new house." I try to oblige without moaning too much.
I have been watching a lot of Fry on tube a lot lately. He is such just a wonderful chap to listen to. Check out his address in holland at his book launch if you can.
End of the month and no cash has meant no booze or phone card (yes!). This means I can't drown in gin or Guinness right now and I have a legitimate excuse not to call anyone. Gives the liver a chance to recover.
Having somewhat fallen off the wagon on the good living campaign, we have endevoured to get back on track. Oi has been making simple Thai vegetables soups and dishes which have proved a treat and we get to make a mean green every few days. God that stuff is like liquid oxygen. You can feel it burning into your bloodstream and wiping out nasty fat deposits. At least, I hope it is.
We took a Grace to the pool last Saturday which gave me a chance to swim about and exercise. I also got some gardening in so I went to bed feeling slightly energized.
One the teaching side I am trying to reignite enthusiam which paid off last night okay. Actually, teaching makes a nice break from home life so really it's quite welcome.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Saturday Sun
Here we are. I am attempting to alleviate a escalating sense of frustration and annoyance with things around me. Everything, thankfully, except Oi and Grace, who are my only stronghold of any need to survive. Watching the mad chaos around me, I feel just utter horror atd it sickens me, and I have to retreat into a gin and tonic every night to dull the pain of it all. And I know this scene can be recreated all over the globe, in every town, city and country. All the shit being pumped into the air on an ever increasing basis. How long can it last? Is it any real surprise the weather is fucked? If you blow cigarette smoke into a kids face enough, he's going to cough, isn't he? The old lady manager of Smart English, Pee Dtoi turned to me in the immigration office the other day and said, "Before now, Thailand used to be so much cooler.". I said it was because they cut down all the trees, and she nodded actively.
It was Grace's birthday, but we opted that she celebrate at school with her friends. Oi took in a cake at about eleven and they all had a party and sang Happy Birthday. Our street's somewhat void of children these days, some are packed off to private classes every night, some just never go outside, two lots moved away, including Ching Ching who was pretty wild for a kid. The only cool kid left is Mot An Noy from the plant shop, who is the airy, vague, shy Thai country girl you can see in the country.
At home, Grace had a couple of presents, including a Mickey Mouse sausage, the long pillows Thai people and myself cannot sleep without.
I have enjoyed a couple of wonderful nights with Tom. We can can loaded listening to the Ipod on random and have huge discussions about music. He's a master on some music, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Breeders, Zed Lepplin and the like. I find myself laughing then as I do at no other time.
Grace is growing up fast and basically now can talk about most subjects in English and Thai. She seems very advanced but that's fine by me. We can now tell her she has to stop playing with the ipad at 8 o'clock, and she agrees and abides. MY shock when she just said ok and handed it over. By the time I get ahold of it at 10 when she is asleep, if she spied me playing before then she would wake up again and demand the wretched machine, I am near asleep myself and find myself not enjoying these meaningless games and could be resting my troubled and throbbing brain.
Upon Tom's zany recommendations, I have started watching "Newsroom" with Jeff Daniels, a US comedy drama. Quite fun I believe and I shall try to stick with it. I have a hard time sticking at anything these days, only anaesthetising myself in any number of ways.
The diet is going down the toilet and I plead with Oi to buy some more vegetables. We just spent all our money for the month on a set of bionic saucepans. Ya, you don't need any oil to cook and nothing sticks to it. It was a thing on the telly and we looked at each other and said, "Let's get it!". Food must have crept up the Heirachy of Needs to have me getting excited at the prospect of purchasing some pots, but here's to evolution.
We got a green juice made today which is an oasis in a sea of cheese and ham sandwiches, but I had a coffee a couple of hours later which was a shame.
I think I have have reached my lowest ebb quite soon which will mean I will kickstart the engines and join the gym soon, which will have me raging for fitness again. God.
It was Grace's birthday, but we opted that she celebrate at school with her friends. Oi took in a cake at about eleven and they all had a party and sang Happy Birthday. Our street's somewhat void of children these days, some are packed off to private classes every night, some just never go outside, two lots moved away, including Ching Ching who was pretty wild for a kid. The only cool kid left is Mot An Noy from the plant shop, who is the airy, vague, shy Thai country girl you can see in the country.
At home, Grace had a couple of presents, including a Mickey Mouse sausage, the long pillows Thai people and myself cannot sleep without.
I have enjoyed a couple of wonderful nights with Tom. We can can loaded listening to the Ipod on random and have huge discussions about music. He's a master on some music, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Breeders, Zed Lepplin and the like. I find myself laughing then as I do at no other time.
Grace is growing up fast and basically now can talk about most subjects in English and Thai. She seems very advanced but that's fine by me. We can now tell her she has to stop playing with the ipad at 8 o'clock, and she agrees and abides. MY shock when she just said ok and handed it over. By the time I get ahold of it at 10 when she is asleep, if she spied me playing before then she would wake up again and demand the wretched machine, I am near asleep myself and find myself not enjoying these meaningless games and could be resting my troubled and throbbing brain.
Upon Tom's zany recommendations, I have started watching "Newsroom" with Jeff Daniels, a US comedy drama. Quite fun I believe and I shall try to stick with it. I have a hard time sticking at anything these days, only anaesthetising myself in any number of ways.
The diet is going down the toilet and I plead with Oi to buy some more vegetables. We just spent all our money for the month on a set of bionic saucepans. Ya, you don't need any oil to cook and nothing sticks to it. It was a thing on the telly and we looked at each other and said, "Let's get it!". Food must have crept up the Heirachy of Needs to have me getting excited at the prospect of purchasing some pots, but here's to evolution.
We got a green juice made today which is an oasis in a sea of cheese and ham sandwiches, but I had a coffee a couple of hours later which was a shame.
I think I have have reached my lowest ebb quite soon which will mean I will kickstart the engines and join the gym soon, which will have me raging for fitness again. God.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Chill
Saturday and trying to rest. Grace is a bit sick but the ipad has her attention most of the time, the only problem being that I can't use it.
I splashed some cash and downloaded a few of the games available. I thought damn it, why not? The games are really rather sweet, definitely heralding back to the days of the ZX spectrum and the like. Fun, arcade type games and a refreshing change from the life sucking PC games of late.
My back ache has also disappeared since I don't sit at the PC anymore. I still use it a bit, to download stuff and make flashcards, but most things I can do on the ipad.
We were dragged to a meaningless Smart English meeting last night which was hard work for us with Grace and having to go through rush hour traffic into the centre of town on a bike. I was quite pissed off that folks don't acknowledge that for those with kids this is a fuck of a task. We had a meal after together. It was good to see Patrick and Tom and some of the others, but we both knew when it was time to go home. We were exhausted but Grace stoked up with ice cream was leaping about until eleven.
Now we have some time to ourselves, I just wanna do nothing.
I would urge all folks to get an ipad and get gaming on a great system.
Current favourites are;
Robowar or something - berzerk like blast in a maze of killer robots.
Pinball - such fun
Catan - a board game
Waking Mars - 2d scroller, exploring a cave system on Mars with strange plants and acid drops. Chilling fun.
I splashed some cash and downloaded a few of the games available. I thought damn it, why not? The games are really rather sweet, definitely heralding back to the days of the ZX spectrum and the like. Fun, arcade type games and a refreshing change from the life sucking PC games of late.
My back ache has also disappeared since I don't sit at the PC anymore. I still use it a bit, to download stuff and make flashcards, but most things I can do on the ipad.
We were dragged to a meaningless Smart English meeting last night which was hard work for us with Grace and having to go through rush hour traffic into the centre of town on a bike. I was quite pissed off that folks don't acknowledge that for those with kids this is a fuck of a task. We had a meal after together. It was good to see Patrick and Tom and some of the others, but we both knew when it was time to go home. We were exhausted but Grace stoked up with ice cream was leaping about until eleven.
Now we have some time to ourselves, I just wanna do nothing.
I would urge all folks to get an ipad and get gaming on a great system.
Current favourites are;
Robowar or something - berzerk like blast in a maze of killer robots.
Pinball - such fun
Catan - a board game
Waking Mars - 2d scroller, exploring a cave system on Mars with strange plants and acid drops. Chilling fun.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Jeff Minter
I don't believe it. On the ipad apps store i numbly type in random words to see what apps are about. Words like, beauty, alien, cave, combat, adventure....just to see what comes up.
Anyway, I was watching tv or something, I honestly can't remember, but I suddenly had the urge to type in llama. Not, that wasn't good enough. llamasoft, I retyped.
Up it came, in a flash.
I bunch of titles!
Woah!!!!
Gridrunner was there! a 1982 original! What the Hell is going on?
I clicked on a few, all of which had glowing reviews.
At 69p a pop, it ain't much of a risk. I downloaded 5.
Thet are amazing. It's like 1982 graphics, 2012 control.... and then some. Blocky spaceships explode into a zillion pieces, things shoot in and out of the screen, playing havoc with your retina. It has to been seen. But it's such a great job. I am so happy Jeff Minter is still out there.
As a boy I idolized him worshipping pieces of software like Revenge of the Mutant Camels and Anticipal. I even found his address and wrote to him. Upon which, I recieved a signed photo and best wishes letter. He lived in Basingstoke for fuck's sake!
But a hippy through and through. All his games were very trippy with goats and sheep floating around and very wierd. SO glad this dude's still on the planet, man.
If you want some homegrown fun....investigate.
Anyway, I was watching tv or something, I honestly can't remember, but I suddenly had the urge to type in llama. Not, that wasn't good enough. llamasoft, I retyped.
Up it came, in a flash.
I bunch of titles!
Woah!!!!
Gridrunner was there! a 1982 original! What the Hell is going on?
I clicked on a few, all of which had glowing reviews.
At 69p a pop, it ain't much of a risk. I downloaded 5.
Thet are amazing. It's like 1982 graphics, 2012 control.... and then some. Blocky spaceships explode into a zillion pieces, things shoot in and out of the screen, playing havoc with your retina. It has to been seen. But it's such a great job. I am so happy Jeff Minter is still out there.
As a boy I idolized him worshipping pieces of software like Revenge of the Mutant Camels and Anticipal. I even found his address and wrote to him. Upon which, I recieved a signed photo and best wishes letter. He lived in Basingstoke for fuck's sake!
But a hippy through and through. All his games were very trippy with goats and sheep floating around and very wierd. SO glad this dude's still on the planet, man.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Chuckie Egg
Grace came across some utube vids off Peppa Pig World in the New Forest. Heartbreaking....I remember as a boy dreaming of going to Disneyland. It never happened. She keeps saying we have to go on an aeroplane.
The country fair is in town at the university. We went in the morning in blazing heat. Bought some delicious foods. Torrential downpour this afternoon made us glad to be at home.
Just been reading the Guardian about the US drought and rising food prices. One reader commented about the movie Home about the dust bowl that is now the Earth. It's awfully hot here and a nasty smog over the land from the crop fires in Sumatra. Makes a giant blanket over Southern Thailand and temperatures soar.
Sometimes I feel we are just weeks from some kind of massive environmental collapse. I watch all the cars and motorbikes and the chaos that is Thailand. Any kind of environmental plans that UK adopt will never happen here. They don't even know its wrong to drop litter here. There is tons of accommodation blocks going up everywhere as private Chinese investors develop everything. There's just not a chance for anything else, and nothing for the community. They just finished a state of the art cable car (German design) for 400 yards of Hat Yai park. It's crazy. The playground is decaying and rusty and they spend ga-zillions on some cable car no one is gonna go on. Just like the piece of shit aquarium in Songkhla. But will they build anything for their own kids? Getaway!
I keep recalling the head of geography at University College Chichester when I told him I was going to Thailand. He just said, "Thailand's fucked." Well, it isn't now, but it will be. But then so will the rest of the world. Wait a minute, it already is. It's just that boiled frog syndrome kicking in again. You know, when you can't see how shit things have become because it happens so slowly.
Still, I gotta say I think the Ipad is the best thing Man has ever made! It is just amazing. I can now have BBC world service playing in any room or even out on the porch. I can read the newpapers, do crosswords, play an excellent game of pinball, do some finely crafted puzzle games and even write my blog on it. And that's not even scratching at the surface. It's mad! Is this the pinnacle of Man's achievements?
Did you hear about the super spy blimp spotted over New Jersey. A world of weapons we haven't seen yet, for release when things boil over. It's Quo Vadis on a global scale. Do you remember that C64 game Quo Vadis? I even picked up a ZX Spectrum collection pack with Chuckie Egg on it. The very original for when ever I think of Edward Collett. You gotta pay for these apps but they are very cheap, usually 1-5 quid and, after careful review searching I have picked up a bunch of really excellent games that will keep me amused while the world outside burns.....
The country fair is in town at the university. We went in the morning in blazing heat. Bought some delicious foods. Torrential downpour this afternoon made us glad to be at home.
Just been reading the Guardian about the US drought and rising food prices. One reader commented about the movie Home about the dust bowl that is now the Earth. It's awfully hot here and a nasty smog over the land from the crop fires in Sumatra. Makes a giant blanket over Southern Thailand and temperatures soar.
Sometimes I feel we are just weeks from some kind of massive environmental collapse. I watch all the cars and motorbikes and the chaos that is Thailand. Any kind of environmental plans that UK adopt will never happen here. They don't even know its wrong to drop litter here. There is tons of accommodation blocks going up everywhere as private Chinese investors develop everything. There's just not a chance for anything else, and nothing for the community. They just finished a state of the art cable car (German design) for 400 yards of Hat Yai park. It's crazy. The playground is decaying and rusty and they spend ga-zillions on some cable car no one is gonna go on. Just like the piece of shit aquarium in Songkhla. But will they build anything for their own kids? Getaway!
I keep recalling the head of geography at University College Chichester when I told him I was going to Thailand. He just said, "Thailand's fucked." Well, it isn't now, but it will be. But then so will the rest of the world. Wait a minute, it already is. It's just that boiled frog syndrome kicking in again. You know, when you can't see how shit things have become because it happens so slowly.
Still, I gotta say I think the Ipad is the best thing Man has ever made! It is just amazing. I can now have BBC world service playing in any room or even out on the porch. I can read the newpapers, do crosswords, play an excellent game of pinball, do some finely crafted puzzle games and even write my blog on it. And that's not even scratching at the surface. It's mad! Is this the pinnacle of Man's achievements?
Did you hear about the super spy blimp spotted over New Jersey. A world of weapons we haven't seen yet, for release when things boil over. It's Quo Vadis on a global scale. Do you remember that C64 game Quo Vadis? I even picked up a ZX Spectrum collection pack with Chuckie Egg on it. The very original for when ever I think of Edward Collett. You gotta pay for these apps but they are very cheap, usually 1-5 quid and, after careful review searching I have picked up a bunch of really excellent games that will keep me amused while the world outside burns.....
Saturday, August 11, 2012
iPad crazy
Hmmm...this thing is really starting to kick in. Grace and I were in mortal combat for possession of the sacred object. Now, she sleeps so I can enjoy alone. And I have been. A great game I acquired is hunters 2, which is a turn based alien blast. The games are different to PC yet equally as captivating. Lots of strategy games which is great for me, as I love a thinker. Some faintly amusing puzzle games too, with a beguiling surreal tone.
Relishing the weekend but trying to relax as much as possible. Grace is hopping mad these days. I was building houses for her out of pillows in the bedroom. She loved it and constantly demanded new houses to be built.
We went to lunch at our open air Sunday special and ate delicious fish, vegetables and fried rice.
Relishing the weekend but trying to relax as much as possible. Grace is hopping mad these days. I was building houses for her out of pillows in the bedroom. She loved it and constantly demanded new houses to be built.
We went to lunch at our open air Sunday special and ate delicious fish, vegetables and fried rice.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Ipad
Ah! I am blogging from my iPad I don't know if this is a good thing in terms of ease but I suppose I don't have to sit at the PC anymore, something which feels more and more uncomfortable, and with my ailing back, am glad to be rid of. That and diseases like my addiction to Stronghold Kingdoms, which thankfully has come to an end.
Indeed, the iPad has now opened up Skype as much more of an option as I can now stroll around the house, eat lunch or go to the toilet and still talk to my brother. Please join me as I urinate, everyone is doing it.
With all this incredible technology, sometimes I wonder what the hell I should do with it. Watching the world distintergrate I generally try to do as little as possible. I look at this big pile of options and just can't decide where to step off, or on. However, brother has inspired me to make a website of handouts for children which can make me some lovely dosh.
Life is about riding home from school at midday and stopping of at the chemist to buy some Guinness, which I can then enjoy while sitting out on the porch and admire the garden. Most older folks I have encountered seem to end up doing this, so I just brought the clock forward a bit. Funny, you get these judges, doctors, quantity surveyors and the like, and after commanding huge salaries and doing highly skilled and stressful work, want nothing more than to prune the roses and get tiddly.
Trouble with this keyboard. The auto spelling is destroying my writing and it keeps jumping back up into the text and deleting my masterpiece.
I recall my last boss in UK, Mike Sellens, who would stroll around eating fancy pastries and making comments about the weather and his garden
Indeed, the iPad has now opened up Skype as much more of an option as I can now stroll around the house, eat lunch or go to the toilet and still talk to my brother. Please join me as I urinate, everyone is doing it.
With all this incredible technology, sometimes I wonder what the hell I should do with it. Watching the world distintergrate I generally try to do as little as possible. I look at this big pile of options and just can't decide where to step off, or on. However, brother has inspired me to make a website of handouts for children which can make me some lovely dosh.
Life is about riding home from school at midday and stopping of at the chemist to buy some Guinness, which I can then enjoy while sitting out on the porch and admire the garden. Most older folks I have encountered seem to end up doing this, so I just brought the clock forward a bit. Funny, you get these judges, doctors, quantity surveyors and the like, and after commanding huge salaries and doing highly skilled and stressful work, want nothing more than to prune the roses and get tiddly.
Trouble with this keyboard. The auto spelling is destroying my writing and it keeps jumping back up into the text and deleting my masterpiece.
I recall my last boss in UK, Mike Sellens, who would stroll around eating fancy pastries and making comments about the weather and his garden
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Um...
The curse of Stronghold Kingdoms has been lifted. The desire to play vanished a few days ago, and I have no wish to play it. Strange, but true. Actually, it began to be a chore.
Now comes, new found freedom. Freedom to watch movies and play with the ipad!
Our Koh Lipe trip was fantastic but for the awful boat ride which was like the Posidean Adventure.
Grace had a whale of a time with some other children and playing in the sand. We went in the sea a few times and she had a ball. We ate ice cream every day and bought and ate everything we wanted. I hate being mean on holiday.
Back at home, things are fairly blissful. I am really enjoying teaching at the moment and have adopted this new persona when I teach. Speaking slowly and very deliberately. It's great fun as I stomp about the room with huge strides, saying things like, "I lost my...err...That thing to open the door. It's a ....."
I have started to tell funny stories very slowly and clearly, writing up a new word when I come across one that they might not know. I ask them lots of questions about things in their life and carry on from there, being like a great actor with lots of dramatic pauses and speaking in a very clear and concise way. It's a lot of fun.
Duty calls.....
Now comes, new found freedom. Freedom to watch movies and play with the ipad!
Our Koh Lipe trip was fantastic but for the awful boat ride which was like the Posidean Adventure.
Grace had a whale of a time with some other children and playing in the sand. We went in the sea a few times and she had a ball. We ate ice cream every day and bought and ate everything we wanted. I hate being mean on holiday.
Back at home, things are fairly blissful. I am really enjoying teaching at the moment and have adopted this new persona when I teach. Speaking slowly and very deliberately. It's great fun as I stomp about the room with huge strides, saying things like, "I lost my...err...That thing to open the door. It's a ....."
I have started to tell funny stories very slowly and clearly, writing up a new word when I come across one that they might not know. I ask them lots of questions about things in their life and carry on from there, being like a great actor with lots of dramatic pauses and speaking in a very clear and concise way. It's a lot of fun.
Duty calls.....
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
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