Far Cry Swimming

Yesterday, I was in a torrid rage. Angry at everything, moments from catastrophy. I knew what was wrong. I had to swim. I rushed to the gym, praying I had enough cash in the machine for a months membership. For once, my luck was in. I went. I joined. I swam. And instantly cured my fever.

Today I did half an hour on the bike as I am a trifle unwell.

Rising at 3:30 I stumbled to the PC and fired it up. Far Cry 3? What's this? Best game ever? I loaded up Steam and there it was, with a timer, "This game will be available to play in 3 hours." I scrambled across the keyboard and managed a purchase with my existing account, and frighteningly easy to empty my bank account. However, to this day I have only ever purchased two games through Steam, the other being the incredible Skyrim.

Anyway, I bought the fucker and went to work as it slowly downloaded. Cheerful at work, knowing there would be something awesome for me waiting at home, I went to the gym on the way home and did an easy, yet fullfilling, thirty minutes on the bike.

Home now, coffee-ed up and just finished my first session, on what could, briefly resurrect PC gaming for me. I haven't played anything since the life threatening experience with Stronghold Kingdoms, a game in which I saw the terrible sickness of gaming addiction, which in a single night I rid myself of.

You can imagine how wonderful Far Cry 3 is. The first installment remains, perhaps, my favourite game of all time.

Loving ElvenQuest and have happily arrived at series 2. The Lord Darkness has me laughing out loud in the middle of the night as babes in arms sleep soundly beside me. If you ever want to laugh?...Oh do shut up, Jim!

Rolling Stones and recent Stranglers get some airplay.

Batman entertains, and a brief encounter with the beautiful Smilla's Sense for Snow.

Sweet Approaching Floppy Hat of Christmas

A boring Thursday.  A busy work schedule and a dumb camp on Saturday, at my school as it happens. Am I supposed to limit my extra-curiculla activities?

I had a 4 pack of blacks tonight and Canada Mark brought some "coffee" for me, so I am suitably sedated.

The newly discovered Stranglers Acoustic in Bruge is delightful, ambiant and light, echoed with the timelessly wise words of these noble men.

I am playing a wonderful new game on the Ipad. "Knights of Pen and Paper". It's a DM (Dungeon Master) sitting on a table in front of you, in very blocky retro graphics and you can build a party of bold adventurers sitting on the other side of the table facing him. You can pick Nerds and Pizza Guys who can take the roles of Hunters, Mages, Clerics, Warriors, Rogues and the like.

Then you can travel about a blocky map carrying out fun quests and buying gorgeous armour and magic weapons in the villages and castle settlements, Clearing out caves teeming with goblins and battling sand worms and giant grubs. Level up and award yourself with a skill improving damage, healing, sleep, meteor storm such as the character provides.

You can make armour at the blacksmith and equip each character with rings, and swords, wand, armour etc.

All dialogue is in speech bubbles and very comic, simulating a game of D&D in someone's house. Great fun and hopelessly addicted.

I've been watching TV. Nashville. An American series and fun viewing.

I simply adore ElvenQuest and have so far listened to four episodes. Yea, the dark lord is hilarious. I look forward to further listens.

Christmas looming. I believe I shall be popping out to buy some goodies, like cheese, dried meat, olives,cheese  biscuits, butterscotch biscuits, gin, Guinness, and maybe some whiskey. I might even make my special salsa and some morning whiskey coffees. One must at least attempt to enjoy the event, and get as stuffed and loaded as possible. Stumble about the house muttering obscure John Cusack quotations from a forgotten 80's lost gem. Weep some soppy tears as one engages in a flackback to younger days in a drunken Utube evening on ones own. Catch yourself trying to hopelessly explain some incredible philosophy you possess that the other party has no interest in knowing about. Yes, it all happens at Christmas.

Arse

Saturday evening and I spent the day in slow recovery from a fun night out last night.

I went over to Tom's apartment and we sank some blacks while we chatted about fun stuff. Then we headed over to Patrick's who was hosting another meal, cooked by his girlfriend, Ying. Patrick's been steady with her for a while now and she's moved in. Patrick actually seems a bit calmer these days, presumably because of the woman.

It was a fun night and I stayed awake until I left at about 3. Lots of chat, an exchange of music courtesy of Utube and plenty of laughter. My looming departure seems to have prompted social activity.

I'm looking forward to moving, because the feeling if I wasn't moving would be one of boredom on the treadmill of life. So I am very glad of the upcoming change of scene. And Chum Phon is greatly situated for holidays, trips to Bangkok, world class beaches and islands.

The Stranglers have raised their ugly heads on Win Amp lately, which has proved fun.

I'm working a lot but enjoying it and having quite a blast with students which probably comes with having clocked up ten years teaching experience. I keep meeting teachers just off the plane who don't know shit and give appalling lessons to deathly bored students. Ahhh! They get no sympathy from me, especially as they receive the same fucking wage. Yes, experience counts for nothing in this land. At least in terms of cash which is how things are valued in the world of Man.

In attempts to pacify Grace I appear to have erred and introduce the coming of Christmas a few weeks too early. We took a trip into town today in the chill taxi and bought some xmas decorations. Grace went mad as usual running around the store having a blast. Somehow I managed to get out of putting up the xmas tree when we got home, but I did have to join her in the pool 3 times.

Now evening draws on and hopefully I can chill with a couple of drinks, some tunes some comedy radio shows (ElvenQuest) before I drag my sorry arse off to bed to rise again on Sunday.

Smart English have kindly booked my arse for another shitty English camp next Saturday, all for free of course leaving me precious little time to rest. Oh the humanity!

North Winds Blowing,,,,

I saw an orange robe burning
I saw a youth on fire
I saw metal machines that were turning
On a generation that hadn't yet tired
I heard of two generations being murdered
In a Europe that was shrouded in black
I witnessed the birth pains of new nations
When the chosen people finally went back
North Winds Blowing
I wish it would Blow all away
North Winds Blowing I wish they would blow all away
I wish they would blow all away
I saw freedom in the shape of disease
 And mainly men had to quench their desire
And while a few could do just as they pleased
I saw kids whose bellies were all on fire.
When all is dead and war is over
When hollow victory has been won
Who will join in the celebration
Of the evil that just can't be undone?
North Winds Blowing I wish it would Blow all away
North Winds Blowing I wish they would blow all away
I wish they would blow all away
I used to dream about destruction
But now that I feel it getting near
I spend rny time watching the ocean
And waves are all I want to hear
I wish I was a believer
I'd spend less time in being sad
So many laws against disbelieving
Don't know who's good or who's bad

Songkhla Savvy

Back from our monthly break in Songkhla by the sea. Getting there by taxi is most welcome. No longer do we cling on for dear life 'cross field and dual carriageway for an hour. Instead we endure the driver's breakneck speed as he is thinking about his next job. Still, we got there and our regular hotel, the Som Soon 2 or something. The Som Soon 1 is a wooden ruin next door though atheistically quite pleasing in its Chinese rectangular design. . Simple, but clean and the staff, a bunch of fat ladies, are kind and friendly. It's a bargain and one steps out into the night market for a eye-watering array of food stalls, crazy gifts, toys, clothes and craft. As well as a street cinema, bands and local dancing and entertainment acts.

This time, and for the first time, we got a suite room at a grand fee of 600 baht. For that you get another half room with armchairs and a great view over Songkhla and the not-so-distant mountains.

We went to the Songkhla national museum, but I refused to go in when I was charged 150 baht, as opposed to Oi's 30 baht, as a Thai national. That's a 500% hike up. I know not to show annoyance, so I just told the woman I had been here for 10 years and left it at that. I could have told her that I help little Thai kids every day and that I am not rich and just a regular person, but I knew not to.

The food was excellent. The night market provided a huge spread of noodles in yummy sauce, chicken crackling (little, very chewable knuckles of chicken bone and hugely scrumptious), carved chicken and rice, vegetable spring rolls and probably some others that slip the mind. We also had a couple of delightful visits to the Hot Bread Bakery for a scrummy roast beef sandwich, with beetroot, tomatoes and salad. And this morning, a wonderful English breakfast; sausage, eggs, bacon and beans. Which was fine. All devoured with gusto, washed down with a "Big Coffee".

Grace had two visits to the playground. This time the swing was destroyed. This playground, provided by oil giant, Chevron, is more decrepit every time I come to this town. The see-saws never worked, then the tie in the plastic rope bridge disappeared leaving the two ends hanging, then the roundabout fell apart and now the swings.

Every time I come here I nag at Oi about why don't the Hell an oil giant like Chevron not come and repair it. There's always tons of people here and it's obviously very popular to the community. We come 30 miles to see this shit, damn it.


It's the same story all over. Nothing is maintained in this country. It's built and then run into the ground. New buildings have huge, ugly stains running down them within a couple of years and, of course, there's litter everywhere. STOP!!!

The room was lovely and I slept like a poor boy. Aljazeera was on the TV which I watched incessantly whilst lounging in as much of a relaxed manner as possible, and broke up the programs with bursts on the Ipad. I have just splashed out on Star Wars Angry Birds, Bad Piggies and Death Race, all of which are a blast. I should write a top ten. I am getting a little expert on new game news. They're so cheap and with user comment lines like; "incredible fun" and, "intense gameplay dying to draw you in!" doesn't receive much resistance from me. I bought two more when I came home. 

Sunday evening now. Lesson plans written and printed and a few beers to settle the night.

Nighty night all..

Still Rolling...

Thursday afternoon and a brief window of nothingness to bathe in. I purchased six lovely cans of Guinness in anticipation of my short time of isolated bliss. I got hold of the Seahorses album lately (John Squire) which plays and sounds pleasing.

The word is well and truly out that we are to depart Hat Yai in March, and this knowledge has lightened my load when it comes to working. Knowing that there is an end, not an endless treadmill, has set me in uncanny good spirits during class. Funny, isn't it? I have always liked to throw things up in the air and start again, and it definitely breaths fresh air into a stale life, for me anyway.

Pretty busy of late, doing private class every weekday after the regular job, but coping well so far. Normally we are in bed by6 half nine, and sleep comes easy.

We are off for our monthly Songkhla excursion tomorrow. This time, by luxury taxi. No more clinging on to dear life on the trusty motorbike. Metered taxis arrived just in time for mother's visit and blow local rip-off transport out of the fucking water. Perhaps a third of the price. I jest not.

Halloween has dominated my lessons, kids and adults alike. Thais love ghosts and the stories just flow about hearing strange noises and shadows. Great subject for an English lesson or five.

Grace has been great fun and is regularly belting out, "The Sun Willl Come Up Tomorrow", or chuckling to Tom and Jerry or the new Angry Birds game, Bad Piggies. She's certainly a happy little girl.

Mater's stock of food supplies is slowly being whittled away. Just the cheese left now and half a packet of Hob Nobs. I have been making Mean Greens like a mad witch on a mission, but the girth is yet to be reduced. I keep thinking, "Why isn't is going down?" I surmise that the larder must be bare before the fat can fall off. Quite upsetting really, that all my efforts went down the toilet. Still, as Jow Cross, from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead stated, "Only you can decide what passes between your lips"

Been listening to Some Girls quite a bit lately and trudging through Moby Dick when I can resist the lure of the Ipad. For Ipad gamers, Punch Quest has proved breat fun.

Radio 4 has recieved a lot of airplay of late, The Today Programme and a great new show, Mastertapes, discussing classic albums, including Suzanne Vega and Billy Bragg. Both were great listening. The News Quiz and In Our Time get regular tweetment, as does Material World when imagination allows.

All for Now

Moby Dick

Sunday and I have indulged in a few afternoon beers, from the enormous stock left by Mater. I am in the midst of a crash diet, but remnants remain in the form of Snickers bars and cookies. My diet runs off the fact that I never shop, therefore never have any food in the house, thus I can drink mean green endlessly and never a chocolate bar will pass my cakehole. Until supplies are dry, my plans are foiled.

As posted on Facebook, I am currently in love with all things Herman Melville, that's Moby Dick to the uninformed. I grabbed a couple more of his works of Project Gutenberg and have been truly relishing the rich, seafaring, a-roving language of the leviathan novel. One can get lost in the words lying under the soporific lulling of the fan. Badly for me, sleep always comes too soon when reading. I sat through the movie this morning too, which was masterful. I remember glimpses of it from 30 years ago on BBC 2 on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the tattooed harpooner and other salty shipmates made a fantastic tale, and I was reminded of the excellent Billy Bud with Peter Ustinov. The prophetic dialogue of Moby Dick is of a biblical scale; rising once more before sinking into the waves forevermore. Poor Captain Ahab. I made a point of reciting the exact and correct pronunciation to Grace of "Ahab".

Mass private classes loom, of which I am not amused. I'm not quite sure why I am doing it. One wretched child dominates my thoughts. I may have to have words, if intolerance raises its ugly head.

We have had a very lazy weekend, sleeping and lounging about, though we did make it into the garden which makes an excellent tonic and exercise. I supposed we are still under the aftermath of Mater's visit.

I tracked down Sting's live album, "Bring On the Night", circa 1985. Released after, The Dream of the Blue Turtles which I still enjoy, though anything later I abhorred, Sting being reduced to the dishwater tripe normally reserved for Phil Collins. I remember attempting to persuade myself that the follow up album which I acquired in Australia in about 1988 was good. My effort didn't last and I moved on to something better, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, courtesy of Stuart Barrett. Thank God.

I enjoyed a fun night at Patrick's last Friday. I fell asleep on the floor quite early as usual and was awoken to leave at about 2. It was fun while I remained awake however, and possibly even as I slept. Tom was there, but I was too wasted to converse with any sincerity. Patrick has been friendly of late, perhaps as news of our departure has spread. He can be fun, as the Irish are, as long as things remain light. I welcome the companionship.