Due to the onslaught of swine flu the school has been closed for the rest of the week as a precautionary measure. Into next week Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday are holidays to mark the beginning of Buddhist lent. So yesterday afternoon there was considerable euphoria among my students when they were told they would be having a windfall nine day holiday.I am not exactly sure what the extent of the infection is but there are a couple of teachers not at all well and I was told 50 students were absent Monday.
This worked out well for me as I was able to take possession of our new car. Quite a mad day really. First of all a dash down to Hua Hin just after 11:30h to return the rental car we have been using. I then got a van from Hua Hin into Bangkok arriving at about 16:30 and then a brilliant cabbie got me to the auction place in about 25 minutes.
So I picked up the new car with a minimum of fuss. I am really happy with it. It is a pretty basic model, no electronic mirrors or windows plus it is manual but it has everything we need. It does not appear to have any underlying mechanical problems. I drove it through rush hour traffic with plenty of stopping and starting, in fact a lot of idling in neutral and first gear and the thermometer did not so much as flicker, no smoke belching out everywhere, no strange noises, all well. Phew! That's all I want, a car that works. Now that I have driven the car I am leaning towards the view I got a good deal! The back bench plastic covering has not been removed, ditto the sun visors. It smells new and the clock says about 5,500 kilometres. A couple of scratches which I will check out tomorrow and maybe see how much a respray will cost.
I have to say I am pretty impressed by the company; they gave us the radio front, the remote and the car manuals, in Thai! I say impressed because I had heard some stories..... I have to say this is an extremely professional operation, if they are making money it is because they deserve to. I recommend Union Auctions.
So I am tired but happy and Luna likes the car too, so we are both happy. Just a small matter of driving it uninsured and untaxed but fortunately no accidents and no encounters with the Boys in Brown as we call them here. The ownership certificate may take a few weeks to come through so we may be a few weeks away from driving legally but I think we are going to be happy with our new wheels.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Weekend in Bangkok
Sunday morning finds us in the Aspen Suites in Sukhumwit Soi 2, Bangkok for our second night .2000b gets you a really elegant, comfortable and well equipped room, plasma TV, DVD & CD player, unlimited internet connection ( very fast) included in the room rate, decent buffet breakfast and a small swimming pool. The staff are really helpful and smile a lot. They also provide a complementary tuktuk shuttle to the main road about 1 km away. Only complaint about the experience is that Saturday morning at 0300h we were wakened by a lady ringing our door bell, presumably thinking she was coming to her customer's room!
Yesterday I bought a car at Union Auctions in the north of Bangkok. We'd been previously and saw how it worked. So I successfully bidded for a black Mitsubishi Triton Mega Cab GL, a manual pickup, diesel, and paid about 3/5 of what it would cost new; very low mileage, under 5,000, and its interior still smelled new, just over a year old; some minor blemishes on the body work.
My instinct is I might have gone a little high and I am a little anxious that the car may be defective; the truth is I don't really know. However I was looking for a Mitsubishi pickup and after sitting in it with the engine running for a few minutes I was really pleased with it. I'll probably stick it into the local Mitsubishi dealer and get them to check it out. Next up comes the paper chase, registration, taxation and insurance, and of course I have to transfer the funds. Then I have to go collect the beast and drive it back here. So I'll know fairly soon if I have bought a heep of shit! I have been planning this purchase since my employment was confirmed in May but my first visit to the auctions was unsuccessful.
I suppose the auction route may also seem precarious but I reckon I would have been much more likely to get ripped off on a forecourt dealer sale or on a private sale. Unfortunately when some types see me in Thailand, as a buyer that is, caveat emptor truly applies, they can behave very ruthlessly, seeing me as a great opportunity. Always a good idea to take your time here when it comes to major purchases.
An auction is far more democratic and much more of a level playing field. To be blunt cash is king.By virtue of having work permits and the like we can own a car and can bid in auctions and thanks to our prior visit we knew how to register. Moreover I doubt whether I would have been able to access this type of late registered vehicle on the second hand market. However having checked out the auction previously and talked things over with a car professional who regularily buys at these auctions I felt this was as good a way of buying a vehicle as any in Thailand.
I have to say I enjoyed driving around Bangkok. I guess you have to condition yourself to it and expect the worst. I can do this easily thanks to driving around London for years. Wrong turnings, unexpected closures and long delays were very much the order of the day. However I successfully drove us from Ploenchit/Sukhumvit to the Boromratchonnani elevated highway. This is an amazing stretch of highway running straight for almost 20 km - a real boy racer's dream! It runs from Nonthaburi to Putthamonthon, due west on the road ultimately leading to Nakhon Pathom & Ratchaburi. I have been trying to access this highway since moving here last year and believe me, my attempts have involved some grim detours! I did so notwithstanding a westbound closure of Petchaburi Road which meant I had to go back down to Ploenchit and onto the freeway, doing all manner of illegal turns and managing to avoid the attention of the traffic cops!
Today we went shopping for baby things in Siam Paragon. I have to say this was the first moment I realised the little fella is going to cost us a lot of money; we bought a crib and a baby bouncer, various items of clothing, changing mats, blankets, nasal aspirator, thermometer, cotton nappies and so on. I have just assembled the baby bouncer, I really can't believe I have done this and Luna has just volunteered she doesn't know how to put a cotton nappy on a baby!!! Wow, we are going to have fun!
It was good to catch up with a few friends for a chat and a drink over the weekend. We also went to mass in Holy Redeemer Church in Ruam Ruedee. Great to be able to hear a good sermon preached in intelligible English. I like going to mass in Bangkok, I get a spiritual uplift and I get a very real and powerful sense of being part of a huge international community. It really was like the United Nations with people from virtually every corner of the planet present.
Sukhumwit is pretty seedy and always has been. There have always been beer bars and so called night spots like Nana Plaza but on this trip I was surprised by the number of prostitutes working the main drag as opposed to being in bars. The numbers on the street suggested business was slow! I am so pleased my interest in such matters is curiosity!
Bangkok is poised for greatness surely. The high speed airport link is scheduled to begin operating in August and Bangkok really offers an amazing range of hotels, restaurants and shopping experiences. I hope Bangkok booms because Thailand badly needs it. The country has suffered very badly.
Finally having successfully navigated our way on to the highway we were able to get to Phuttamonthon Park in record time and we spent a couple of hours looking at the birds. All familiar friends but I must say I don't believe I will ever tire of looking at black-crowned night heron.
A great weekend I am happy to say.
Yesterday I bought a car at Union Auctions in the north of Bangkok. We'd been previously and saw how it worked. So I successfully bidded for a black Mitsubishi Triton Mega Cab GL, a manual pickup, diesel, and paid about 3/5 of what it would cost new; very low mileage, under 5,000, and its interior still smelled new, just over a year old; some minor blemishes on the body work.
My instinct is I might have gone a little high and I am a little anxious that the car may be defective; the truth is I don't really know. However I was looking for a Mitsubishi pickup and after sitting in it with the engine running for a few minutes I was really pleased with it. I'll probably stick it into the local Mitsubishi dealer and get them to check it out. Next up comes the paper chase, registration, taxation and insurance, and of course I have to transfer the funds. Then I have to go collect the beast and drive it back here. So I'll know fairly soon if I have bought a heep of shit! I have been planning this purchase since my employment was confirmed in May but my first visit to the auctions was unsuccessful.
I suppose the auction route may also seem precarious but I reckon I would have been much more likely to get ripped off on a forecourt dealer sale or on a private sale. Unfortunately when some types see me in Thailand, as a buyer that is, caveat emptor truly applies, they can behave very ruthlessly, seeing me as a great opportunity. Always a good idea to take your time here when it comes to major purchases.
An auction is far more democratic and much more of a level playing field. To be blunt cash is king.By virtue of having work permits and the like we can own a car and can bid in auctions and thanks to our prior visit we knew how to register. Moreover I doubt whether I would have been able to access this type of late registered vehicle on the second hand market. However having checked out the auction previously and talked things over with a car professional who regularily buys at these auctions I felt this was as good a way of buying a vehicle as any in Thailand.
I have to say I enjoyed driving around Bangkok. I guess you have to condition yourself to it and expect the worst. I can do this easily thanks to driving around London for years. Wrong turnings, unexpected closures and long delays were very much the order of the day. However I successfully drove us from Ploenchit/Sukhumvit to the Boromratchonnani elevated highway. This is an amazing stretch of highway running straight for almost 20 km - a real boy racer's dream! It runs from Nonthaburi to Putthamonthon, due west on the road ultimately leading to Nakhon Pathom & Ratchaburi. I have been trying to access this highway since moving here last year and believe me, my attempts have involved some grim detours! I did so notwithstanding a westbound closure of Petchaburi Road which meant I had to go back down to Ploenchit and onto the freeway, doing all manner of illegal turns and managing to avoid the attention of the traffic cops!
Today we went shopping for baby things in Siam Paragon. I have to say this was the first moment I realised the little fella is going to cost us a lot of money; we bought a crib and a baby bouncer, various items of clothing, changing mats, blankets, nasal aspirator, thermometer, cotton nappies and so on. I have just assembled the baby bouncer, I really can't believe I have done this and Luna has just volunteered she doesn't know how to put a cotton nappy on a baby!!! Wow, we are going to have fun!
It was good to catch up with a few friends for a chat and a drink over the weekend. We also went to mass in Holy Redeemer Church in Ruam Ruedee. Great to be able to hear a good sermon preached in intelligible English. I like going to mass in Bangkok, I get a spiritual uplift and I get a very real and powerful sense of being part of a huge international community. It really was like the United Nations with people from virtually every corner of the planet present.
Sukhumwit is pretty seedy and always has been. There have always been beer bars and so called night spots like Nana Plaza but on this trip I was surprised by the number of prostitutes working the main drag as opposed to being in bars. The numbers on the street suggested business was slow! I am so pleased my interest in such matters is curiosity!
Bangkok is poised for greatness surely. The high speed airport link is scheduled to begin operating in August and Bangkok really offers an amazing range of hotels, restaurants and shopping experiences. I hope Bangkok booms because Thailand badly needs it. The country has suffered very badly.
Finally having successfully navigated our way on to the highway we were able to get to Phuttamonthon Park in record time and we spent a couple of hours looking at the birds. All familiar friends but I must say I don't believe I will ever tire of looking at black-crowned night heron.
A great weekend I am happy to say.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Saturday Night
Quiet night tonight with Luna entertaining a few friends under the guise of a shower party. Benedict now has plenty of clothes, nappies, even a bath tub now, creams, brushes, bottles, toys and a teddy bear. A movie, Nine Months, was playing in the background, a coincidence,and I must say I felt a mite tearful when Hugh Grant was holding a new born baby. I am prepared for Benedict's arrival to be a major shock to the system, no doubt totally unprepared in real terms, but I think it is also going to be a big emotional charge.
I believe Benedict is going to give me a deep level of happiness and satisfaction and I am reasonably confident I am going to be a good father. These are remarkable words for me to write; at 35 I would have done anything and everything not to be a father.I can also tell you the reason for that was I knew I was crazy and I knew that I would pass that madness onto any child I had whether I wanted to or not. How we change!
It is fairly quiet in Thailand. Political no man's land. Perhaps the calm before the storm. The main story is swine flu which is here in Ratchaburi, 2 reported cases as of yesterday, and which is running at about 600 cases nationally. A lot of concerns in the school, and some kids have been wearing face masks. There have been school closures in Bangkok. If I had it, I think I am on the mend; I still have cold traces but I am definitely better.
Work has really taken over my life. I must make time for some golf one of these weekends. I am going to be pretty busy however. We are going up to Bangkok next weekend and the weekend after that we maybe heading to Chantaburi, over in the eastern side of Thailand, for the installation of our friend, Fr Siripong,as the new Bishop. This will obvioulsy depend on buntis, Tagalog for a pregnant woman! Then of course Benedict is expected soon after. In real terms it might be some time until I see a golf course. I am enjoying watching the US Open coming in from Bethpage, NY. Unbelievable to think a golf major is being played on a public golf course; by all accounts it is a really challenging experience.
The birding is good locally so fortunately I don't have to travel far. On Wednesday about 1 km from home I had the joy of watching a beautiful lesser whistling duck taking her new born duckling for a swim while dad patrolled the skies. What a wonderful moment!
I am tired and not yet firing on all cylinders but I am very happy with my prospects
I believe Benedict is going to give me a deep level of happiness and satisfaction and I am reasonably confident I am going to be a good father. These are remarkable words for me to write; at 35 I would have done anything and everything not to be a father.I can also tell you the reason for that was I knew I was crazy and I knew that I would pass that madness onto any child I had whether I wanted to or not. How we change!
It is fairly quiet in Thailand. Political no man's land. Perhaps the calm before the storm. The main story is swine flu which is here in Ratchaburi, 2 reported cases as of yesterday, and which is running at about 600 cases nationally. A lot of concerns in the school, and some kids have been wearing face masks. There have been school closures in Bangkok. If I had it, I think I am on the mend; I still have cold traces but I am definitely better.
Work has really taken over my life. I must make time for some golf one of these weekends. I am going to be pretty busy however. We are going up to Bangkok next weekend and the weekend after that we maybe heading to Chantaburi, over in the eastern side of Thailand, for the installation of our friend, Fr Siripong,as the new Bishop. This will obvioulsy depend on buntis, Tagalog for a pregnant woman! Then of course Benedict is expected soon after. In real terms it might be some time until I see a golf course. I am enjoying watching the US Open coming in from Bethpage, NY. Unbelievable to think a golf major is being played on a public golf course; by all accounts it is a really challenging experience.
The birding is good locally so fortunately I don't have to travel far. On Wednesday about 1 km from home I had the joy of watching a beautiful lesser whistling duck taking her new born duckling for a swim while dad patrolled the skies. What a wonderful moment!
I am tired and not yet firing on all cylinders but I am very happy with my prospects
Friday, June 19, 2009
Benedict
Our son Benedict is due 17th July according to last night's scan. Once more what joy to watch the little fellow in his mother's womb by virtue of ultrasound. The doctor advises that all is as it should be. Luna now has to decide whether to have a caesarian section or her preferred route, a natural birth. So she is going back to see the doctor on 30th June and she will check to see whether her cervix is opening and will make her decision. Caesarian is the norm in Thailand but in the Philippines it is natural. The doctor is also of the view that the baby is small whereas we think the baby is big!! High class problems. Luna is well, the baby is well, thanks be to God. So parenthood is now imminent!
This Teaching Life
It is very satisfying to get to the end of a week and be able to sit down at home on a Friday night and take it easy. More pertinently I am not dead tired and my health is a lot better. It has been a bit of a roller coaster week. Peaks and troughs.
Yesterday afternoon I was at the end of my tether, close to the edge. A simple request to go to the toilet led to about seven students making similar requests. I was writing material on the board at the time of the first request so agreed and that, so to speak, opened the flood gates. I found myself in slow fury telling my students that in future they could go to the toilet but that they would not be allowed to return to the class and re-iterated the school's policy. After this I took a mobile phone from a student.I regret to say I was beside myself with rage, absolutely fizzing mad! On the plus side I didn't assault anyone or use inappropriate language. However I felt unhappy that my students had managed to get at me so badly.
Today the same students were a joy. No toilet requests, no mobile phones. Another class left me staggered by the amount of knowledge they had retained about plants and as we walked around the school grounds they appeared to be delighting in telling me what plants were vascular and non-vascular. I mean these are ten year old kids! I might have walked out of the job yesterday evening!
My wife, however, is a wonderful support. I asked Luna, she a veteran of the chalk face: "Are there ever times when this job makes you feel close to the edge?" and she replied without hesitation: "Oh yes"!
This morning I was teaching a science class on potentially harmful drugs like nicotine, alcohol and narcotics. I was really powerfully struck by the change in behaviour and attitudes. One student volunteered that her father smokes! I tried to explain to these students, 11/12 year olds, how I started smoking when I was about 14 and that when we had breaks at school most of us headed to the toilets for a cigarette.
We then moved on to deal with alcohol and I asked my students to think what it would be like if they were to visit a hospital emergency room in any British city about midnight on a Friday night. They looked strangely at me and I encouraged them to think about what they would see. One student said: "Dying people"!. I tried to explain that the hospital would be full of people who were heavily under the influence of alcohol and drugs and that security would be needed to protect the doctors and nursing staff and to maintain order. I could tell they didn't understand. Didn't know what I was talking about!
I think this teaching has got its claws into me.
Yesterday afternoon I was at the end of my tether, close to the edge. A simple request to go to the toilet led to about seven students making similar requests. I was writing material on the board at the time of the first request so agreed and that, so to speak, opened the flood gates. I found myself in slow fury telling my students that in future they could go to the toilet but that they would not be allowed to return to the class and re-iterated the school's policy. After this I took a mobile phone from a student.I regret to say I was beside myself with rage, absolutely fizzing mad! On the plus side I didn't assault anyone or use inappropriate language. However I felt unhappy that my students had managed to get at me so badly.
Today the same students were a joy. No toilet requests, no mobile phones. Another class left me staggered by the amount of knowledge they had retained about plants and as we walked around the school grounds they appeared to be delighting in telling me what plants were vascular and non-vascular. I mean these are ten year old kids! I might have walked out of the job yesterday evening!
My wife, however, is a wonderful support. I asked Luna, she a veteran of the chalk face: "Are there ever times when this job makes you feel close to the edge?" and she replied without hesitation: "Oh yes"!
This morning I was teaching a science class on potentially harmful drugs like nicotine, alcohol and narcotics. I was really powerfully struck by the change in behaviour and attitudes. One student volunteered that her father smokes! I tried to explain to these students, 11/12 year olds, how I started smoking when I was about 14 and that when we had breaks at school most of us headed to the toilets for a cigarette.
We then moved on to deal with alcohol and I asked my students to think what it would be like if they were to visit a hospital emergency room in any British city about midnight on a Friday night. They looked strangely at me and I encouraged them to think about what they would see. One student said: "Dying people"!. I tried to explain that the hospital would be full of people who were heavily under the influence of alcohol and drugs and that security would be needed to protect the doctors and nursing staff and to maintain order. I could tell they didn't understand. Didn't know what I was talking about!
I think this teaching has got its claws into me.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Wai Kru The Flu and Everything Else
I am under no illusion about life being better here than there. It is as far as I am concerned. Some of the random things I like are: you can get your trousers and shirts for school properly tailored; the strides, bespoke, worked out cheaper than if I had bought them in the local department store. My tailor is suitably called Mafia! My shirt and strides bear his logo. He doesn't look Italian in any way! More to the point they are well made and comfortable.
I went to an optician yesterday to get some reading specs and after getting an eye test and trying some lenses the optician said:"Your glasses will be ready in 20 minutes if you would take a seat"! Knock me down with a feather! Excellent glasses too!
Thursday was Wai Kru day, a traditional ceremony held every year to honour teachers. Our pupils lay prostrate and "wai-ed" three times and gave us flowers in front of the whole school. What a nice touch! I think they also made a promise to study hard, behave and to respect their teachers. "Wai" is the traditional greeting in Thailand where hands are joined together and the head is bow; in this ceremony the kids lay prostrate! "Kru" is a Thai word for teacher. Notwithstanding this the kids were monstrous for the rest of the day! A particularily pleasant occasion which could be adapted easily and applied to western schools.
I guess ultimately one of the major differences between our respective societies is the cheap cost of labour here. For instance a live-in lady to assist us with our new born son will cost between £80 - £120 per month, and for that she will probably clean, iron, cook, shop and she will probably be happy too! Maybe we can get her to drive too! Watch this space for details of our new maid!
Worst thing at the moment is I am sick with a flu type virus and cannot shake it off. It's pretty hot and sticky here right now, as well as lots of rain, so airborne viruses are abundant. There is no better place than a school to incubate and spread said viruses and the kids and teaching staff are all suffering. I have been affected for over a week now and I am really concerned I cannot shake this off. A trip to the doctor is looming.
The teaching is going well but it is not easy due to my poor health right now. More later.
I went to an optician yesterday to get some reading specs and after getting an eye test and trying some lenses the optician said:"Your glasses will be ready in 20 minutes if you would take a seat"! Knock me down with a feather! Excellent glasses too!
Thursday was Wai Kru day, a traditional ceremony held every year to honour teachers. Our pupils lay prostrate and "wai-ed" three times and gave us flowers in front of the whole school. What a nice touch! I think they also made a promise to study hard, behave and to respect their teachers. "Wai" is the traditional greeting in Thailand where hands are joined together and the head is bow; in this ceremony the kids lay prostrate! "Kru" is a Thai word for teacher. Notwithstanding this the kids were monstrous for the rest of the day! A particularily pleasant occasion which could be adapted easily and applied to western schools.
I guess ultimately one of the major differences between our respective societies is the cheap cost of labour here. For instance a live-in lady to assist us with our new born son will cost between £80 - £120 per month, and for that she will probably clean, iron, cook, shop and she will probably be happy too! Maybe we can get her to drive too! Watch this space for details of our new maid!
Worst thing at the moment is I am sick with a flu type virus and cannot shake it off. It's pretty hot and sticky here right now, as well as lots of rain, so airborne viruses are abundant. There is no better place than a school to incubate and spread said viruses and the kids and teaching staff are all suffering. I have been affected for over a week now and I am really concerned I cannot shake this off. A trip to the doctor is looming.
The teaching is going well but it is not easy due to my poor health right now. More later.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
More about Thai Birds
As my teaching career takes off unfortunately I have less time for birds and golf. Nevertheless there is an abundance of opportunities in the immediate Ratchaburi area for sighting birds. About one kilometre from home in nearby fields I have been having a lot of fun watching weavers and can now distinguish baya, asian golden and streaked weavers. Baya weavers in particular are great builders creating fantastic colonies of woven nests. I love the very distinctive bright yellow markings many of the males have on their heads. I have also been looking at flocks of brown and scaly-breasted munias in the local fields. The latter is a really beautiful little fellow. A wet Sunday morning recently allowed me the opportunity to get fully acquainted with the barn swallow; there was a flock of them parked on a telephone line and I got the scope on them and could make out their blue and orange markings. In fact there are many, many common birds which are sometimes hard to distinguish from others especially warblers where the size of their supercilium ( eyebrow!) and their call appear to be the key. I haven't been able to positively identify a single warbler at present but it is coming soon.
On a recent trip to Pong Salot, west of Petchaburi, I was able to add two new species to my list:lesser whistling duck and spotted owlet. There were four spotted owlets on a tree, presumably two sets of mating couples, guarding a nest and they made me laugh as they were cleaning each other in the way cats help each other, almost necking each other. I managed to sight a golden-bellied gerygone in the King's Project, while I was unsuccessfully attempting to identify a sunbird; this fellow came into sight and his lack of a curved bill but almost total similarity to a sunbird had me thumbing through the field guide....golden-bellied gerygone, a tiny fellow, and the book commented on its similarity to sunbirds barring its short stubby black bill, and it had one of them!
I am fairly strict about adding birds to my list. They don't get on it unless I am completely sure. If I have any doubt they don't get on. This makes it more interesting and makes it more of a discipline. I have to study the field guide!
In recent bird watching I have discovered a site less than 1 km form home where asian openbills roost. There must be several thousand of them in the trees and their low key honking-style sound is very distinctive. You can watch the birds fly in from all direction to park in the trees. A very distinctive sight.
One of the great attractions of bird watching is its randomness and unpredictability. You really don't know what you are going to see at any time. So much of it is about being in the right place at the right time, in other words good luck! It is great fun and now that I am working full time Monday to Friday I try to go out after work for an hour or so just to get school and its stresses out of my system. I am also considering some activity to involve the students. The school grounds contain a significant number of species including owls and coppersmith barbets and I have seen a black-shouldered kite in the vicinity. Add in sunbirds, flowerpeckers and so on.
Engrossing really!
On a recent trip to Pong Salot, west of Petchaburi, I was able to add two new species to my list:lesser whistling duck and spotted owlet. There were four spotted owlets on a tree, presumably two sets of mating couples, guarding a nest and they made me laugh as they were cleaning each other in the way cats help each other, almost necking each other. I managed to sight a golden-bellied gerygone in the King's Project, while I was unsuccessfully attempting to identify a sunbird; this fellow came into sight and his lack of a curved bill but almost total similarity to a sunbird had me thumbing through the field guide....golden-bellied gerygone, a tiny fellow, and the book commented on its similarity to sunbirds barring its short stubby black bill, and it had one of them!
I am fairly strict about adding birds to my list. They don't get on it unless I am completely sure. If I have any doubt they don't get on. This makes it more interesting and makes it more of a discipline. I have to study the field guide!
In recent bird watching I have discovered a site less than 1 km form home where asian openbills roost. There must be several thousand of them in the trees and their low key honking-style sound is very distinctive. You can watch the birds fly in from all direction to park in the trees. A very distinctive sight.
One of the great attractions of bird watching is its randomness and unpredictability. You really don't know what you are going to see at any time. So much of it is about being in the right place at the right time, in other words good luck! It is great fun and now that I am working full time Monday to Friday I try to go out after work for an hour or so just to get school and its stresses out of my system. I am also considering some activity to involve the students. The school grounds contain a significant number of species including owls and coppersmith barbets and I have seen a black-shouldered kite in the vicinity. Add in sunbirds, flowerpeckers and so on.
Engrossing really!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The View from Over Here
Sitting here in Ratchaburi I often wonder about what it would be like if I went back to the UK. There is very little I actually miss, perhaps BBC Radio. Much of their content is available online but I would like to be able to tune in to Today as I drive to work! But as I sit here there is nothing I really miss.
I am intrigued by the Westminster scandal over MPs' expenses. It looks as if The Labour Party is done for. I find it hilarious that if the opinion polls are to be believed then The Conservative Party under David Cameron will replace Labour at the next general election.
I remember Mr Cameron's behaviour about two years' ago when there was a bye election in the constituency where I lived. David Campbell in effect ripped up the party's selection criteria and installed his own man as the candidate, a very photogenic man whose name now escapes me , (Tony something), but who was a prominent member of the local Asian business community and who had not even been a member of the Conservative Party for very long. At one level this was a shrewd move because the sitting MP who had died was Asian and the constituency which included Southall has a very significant and prosperous Asian community. Then the campaign material started to flow through the doors as the machine went to work.... Tony, a family man, fighting crime and drugs, Tony this and Tony that. It was looking very good until it was disclosed that a few months earlier Tony had attended a Labour Party fund raiser and made a significant donation to the party's funds. Oh dear and out came the bullshit.... the donation was from his business and did not represent a personal position. Labour thereafter walked away and retained the seat.
I am not really sure this is what I would expect from a Prime Minister in waiting. Mr Cameron made this a great issue, he forced it on his party, you will give me what I want or else I will go. The party bowed to his wishes. Mmmmmm....... we don't hear much about this these days but it is what I will always remember David Cameron for. As far as I am concerned this should never have happened and I wonder what Mr Cameron will do when he is really in the hot seat and a decision is required. My point is that Mr Cameron's judgement was deeply flawed,he should have done his homework.
I sense that the Prince of Darkness, our friend Mr Mandelson, excuse me, Lord Mandelson, is actually running the show as he appears to have consolidated his position within the Brown cabinet. I guess the Noble lord will now be as a clean as a whistle given his previous abuse of his offices for his own advancement and that of his friends. If he hadn't been so publicly humiliated one wonders what the current witch hunt would have revealed about the noble Lord and his expenses.
So I expect Gordon is about to get the push which is sad really because I think he is a decent man. He was active in student politics when I first went to Edinburgh University, having just been elected as student rector. I recall he was often seen in the company of a very beautiful blonde woman who I believe was a Romanian princess. It shall be interesting to observe how this unfolds.
However the UK situation looks bleak. I felt this when I was back in March. I do not envisage a return for some time.
I am enjoying work but it is tiring and I have been laid low with a nasty cold these last few days. A colleague told me to expect to have a lot more sickness! It is still very early days but I am managing to achieve basic class room management and some of the kids seem to be really keen learners. However science is difficult. How do you make dominant and recessive traits interesting?! Moreover I am teaching in English, the text books are in English and the students are struggling with the language and the content. I need to make the learning more interesting, vary activities. However I am enjoying it and I am very grateful that I now have an income!
More on birds coming next!
I am intrigued by the Westminster scandal over MPs' expenses. It looks as if The Labour Party is done for. I find it hilarious that if the opinion polls are to be believed then The Conservative Party under David Cameron will replace Labour at the next general election.
I remember Mr Cameron's behaviour about two years' ago when there was a bye election in the constituency where I lived. David Campbell in effect ripped up the party's selection criteria and installed his own man as the candidate, a very photogenic man whose name now escapes me , (Tony something), but who was a prominent member of the local Asian business community and who had not even been a member of the Conservative Party for very long. At one level this was a shrewd move because the sitting MP who had died was Asian and the constituency which included Southall has a very significant and prosperous Asian community. Then the campaign material started to flow through the doors as the machine went to work.... Tony, a family man, fighting crime and drugs, Tony this and Tony that. It was looking very good until it was disclosed that a few months earlier Tony had attended a Labour Party fund raiser and made a significant donation to the party's funds. Oh dear and out came the bullshit.... the donation was from his business and did not represent a personal position. Labour thereafter walked away and retained the seat.
I am not really sure this is what I would expect from a Prime Minister in waiting. Mr Cameron made this a great issue, he forced it on his party, you will give me what I want or else I will go. The party bowed to his wishes. Mmmmmm....... we don't hear much about this these days but it is what I will always remember David Cameron for. As far as I am concerned this should never have happened and I wonder what Mr Cameron will do when he is really in the hot seat and a decision is required. My point is that Mr Cameron's judgement was deeply flawed,he should have done his homework.
I sense that the Prince of Darkness, our friend Mr Mandelson, excuse me, Lord Mandelson, is actually running the show as he appears to have consolidated his position within the Brown cabinet. I guess the Noble lord will now be as a clean as a whistle given his previous abuse of his offices for his own advancement and that of his friends. If he hadn't been so publicly humiliated one wonders what the current witch hunt would have revealed about the noble Lord and his expenses.
So I expect Gordon is about to get the push which is sad really because I think he is a decent man. He was active in student politics when I first went to Edinburgh University, having just been elected as student rector. I recall he was often seen in the company of a very beautiful blonde woman who I believe was a Romanian princess. It shall be interesting to observe how this unfolds.
However the UK situation looks bleak. I felt this when I was back in March. I do not envisage a return for some time.
I am enjoying work but it is tiring and I have been laid low with a nasty cold these last few days. A colleague told me to expect to have a lot more sickness! It is still very early days but I am managing to achieve basic class room management and some of the kids seem to be really keen learners. However science is difficult. How do you make dominant and recessive traits interesting?! Moreover I am teaching in English, the text books are in English and the students are struggling with the language and the content. I need to make the learning more interesting, vary activities. However I am enjoying it and I am very grateful that I now have an income!
More on birds coming next!
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