All Packed and ready to roll.

It has been a crazy past few days. We got the results of the course on the Friday evening and im pleased to tell you all that i passed with an A! Woop Woop! 86% in Grammar, 90% in Methodology, 90% in over all course performance and 96% in my practical teaching exam. All in all, im very pleased with myself. That friday evening we all went out for a few drinks to celebrate, and those few drinks turned into dacing like crazy people at a local Discoteque......yes, i said 'Discoteque' this is what they are called over here so dont judge me! The place was called Hollywoods, and my goodness, it was like they had just airlifted Dukes to Thailand, sticky floors and all! It was a very fun and funny evening, i think i danced for about 3 solid hours. At about 5.30am we (Adam Meg and Marie) left the club to mosy on back to the hotel. The other 3 has a bus to catch at 6.30am to go to Bangkok and from there to Cambodia. So after running back and forth to Megs room to look for her laptop (that turned out to be already packed in her bag!) i waved them off and slopped back to my room, where i slept untill 2pm.

A little shopping was done on the Saturday (tacky prezzies for the family!!!) and on the Sunday and a few more photos were taken onthe Monday(i think i now have about 50 shots) Which leaves me here waiting for 11am to arrive so that i can get my lift to the airport. I have a sneeky suspish that its going to be a long old day. I have a 3 hour wait in Phuket and then a 6 hour wait in Singapore before i can get on my flight to Heathrow. Then there is that feeling you get when the plane touches down, and you think 'Yay, Im Home!" only to forget about the hour car journey still ahead. But Both Mum and Dad are coming to meet me at the airport at 5.30am! Its nice to be loved that much that the parentals are willing to get up at silly o'clock in the morning to pick me up. Thank you ma and pa xxxxx

Well i think thats about it. Im all packed and re-packed and then re-re-packed, so i just have enough time to check my room for the 100th time and catch my ride to the airport......Be seeing you!

Carrie xxxxxxxx

They think it's all over....It is now!!!

Well people, it is done! I have survived the madness that is Patong town and also the EFL course.  There is no denying it, it was a hard slog and my brain is chock full of grammar and methodology knowledge that has possibly been etched onto my scull but i have had an awsome time through out it all. Meghan, Marie and Adam are fantastic and i don't think i could have asked for a better group of people to do this course with, even though they are slightly crazy!

The teaching test this morning went ok, a few mistakes were made but nothing major and i had some very good comments from Kim, the teacher who observed me. Our grammar teacher asked me how i could only get 86% in my test! I told him that considering that i didnt even know how to describe what a verb was at the beginning of the month i thought that 86% was pretty damn fabulous, as was i. The methodology test was a doosy, lots of writing and a few essay type questions, but i think i just about got it. We dont get our results until later on this evening but i think we have all passed.  I will have to show you all my teaching skills when i get home........in 3 days!!!!!

Tonight, we are kicking back, relaxing and drinking a few Tiger beers because we deserve it! There is a party at a bar that is run by an ex teacher at the school and we are all going, even some of the teachers and other students from the school. I think it will be a good night and a lot of fun.  Its Meghan, Adam and Marie's last night in Patong tonight as they are traveling to Bangkok and then to Cambodia. Its going to be very weird with out them here to hang out with for the last two days and i shall miss them and their craziness. But Marie is coming home for Christmas and she lives in London so we are going to meet up and do some proper crimbo shopping at Lakeside!

Well, i guess this is the last post on here. I will see you all in a few days!  Much love to you all.

Carrie xxxxxxx

Temples and waterfalls.

This weekend, after a dodgy start, turned out to be quite nice. We rented out a clapped out jeep and went into Phuket town to see the Vegitarian Festival. It was CRAZY. The locals dress up in white and line the streets watching the makeshift floats go by with mini shrines and holy men and women sitting on top of them flicking 'blessed' water on to the crowd with leaves and branches and add to the mix men and women parading with them with swords, massive needles, toy golf clubs and at one point even a bmx bike inserted through their cheeks, tounge and more often than not both body parts. One monk was swinging an axe back and forth over his head whilst the blade hit his back. It wasnt the most plesent thing ive ever seen to say the least but it was kind of like a car crash, difficult not to stare!  It was such a hot day though and after a couple of hours we got back into the jeep and tryed to find our way to the 402 road to the waterfalls.  A random Thai said he would take us there for free, we should have known better, he ended up taking us to a lovely temple first of all and we had a look around. The view was amazing and worth going to see, but then he took us to all thses places that cost a fortune and we just kept on saying No We Just Want To Get To The 402 and as a last ditch attempt on his part he led us to a 'jem factory' at which point we just said Can He Point Us In The Right Direction, he looked peed off but he led us to the 402 and let us get on our way. I was doing the driving and managed to find us a national park to look around that had a beautiful waterfall that was surounded by jungle and butterflies. We all ended up swimming in the waterfall fully clothed, as no one had brought swim stuff with them, with some local kids and we had such a blast! The kids were just dive bombing us and we were chasing them around throwing them in the water whist their parents looked on laughing as the funny white people played with their kids. We much have been there for about 3 hours and we were all exauseded by the end of it and so planned to drive home but got caught up in traffic as yet another random village vegitarian festival was taking place. So we stopped to check that out and went on our merry way yet again, back to Patong (Via a KFC, which we were all excited about finding! Little things!) Driving in Patong is crazy as there are so many Moto Drivers about (Scooter Taxis) and they never look at what is coming when they drive, but i must have been driving like a foreigner as everyone gave me a wide berth! We all made it back in one piece (even the jeep, surprisingly) which was a blessed relief. I tell you, when i start driving on the M25 when i get home, im going to epreciate it a whole lot more!
Sunday was an uber lazy day spent doing a little left over homework and watching countless movies and eating cookies, the best way to spend a sunday.  We all met up for dinner in the evening at our fav diner and played some board games and had a well deserved early night. So now here i am typing this for you all at 10.20 in the morning waiting to start this weeks teaching practice with a group of new students. I have already met them and went out for lunch with one of them last week so i think it will be a fun 5 days.  Mariera is from Argentina, Akiyo is from Japan and Dwan is from Thailand. They are all super lovely and good fun. So wish me luck and i will let you know how it goes.


Carrie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One more week to go!!

This week has just flown by! I have been so busy panning lessons and conducting lessons, but i have loved every second. I never thought that working with adults could be this much fun. Even when, all of a sudden your student suddenly get something so small, like putting the artical 'a' infront of motorbike, you leave the classroom with such a big smile and a sence of acheivement.  My students this week have been supurb. The begining of the week was a little shacky, but that was to be expected as none of us had really done anything like this before. By the end of the week though, oh my goodness, we have all just come on leaps and bounds. The confidence is growing and something inside my head has just clicked, and im starting to get the fact that i could actually do this and have an amzing time doing it to. Could it be that i have found another vocation?? Only time will tell, but i really hope so.

Anyhoo, enough gushing. This weekend Marie, Meg Adam and I are renting out a Jeep and will tour Phuket island. Marie and i are doing the driving (which will be interesting with my sence of direction) and we will hopefully be able to seee the vegitarian festival that is happening this weekend (google it!).  I will let you know how it goes. Well its just a short blog today but i will let you know all the goss next time. Much love.

Carrie xxxxxx

My home for the month!

The joys of Grammar points and limbo-ing.

This week hasnt really let up, but my brain is finally starting to wrap itself around all the grammar points it has to learn and also the methodology of teaching. 

The scariest thing is that they are letting us loose on real students on Monday (poor things!) but thankfully we will not be observed by anyone, that starts on Tuesday. So if i mess up on Monday morning then i can work on my mistakes and hopefully do better the next day. Its all about the experience, but as my family will know, if i dont know the ins and outs of what and why i am doing something, i tend to get a little overwhelmed and freak out a little. But im planning on taking it slowly and methodically, so i dont end up having a strop! lol.

We had a grammar test on friday and i know i did so much better than on the one we took last week. I Knew and understood what i was writing down so that was a real bonus!

Last week Marie and i met up with the bavarian biker guy we met last weekend, and he was talking to us about Phuket town night market and offered to take us there in his jeep as he and his wife were meeting friends there anyway, which was very kind of him. So we experienced the wonder and cheapness of the night market. It was HUGE sooo many stall selling clothes and sunnies, make up and baby cloths, animals and food, everything was there. I bought myself a nice bag (because a girl can never have too many!)  In most parts of the market they have plastic sheeting and random awnings hanging across the 'walkways' between the stalls just in case it rains. But because the Thai people are about 2 feet shorter than me they hang them quite low, so i spent most of the time limbo-ing under these things and trying not to get decapitated by all the ropes holding them up. I must have looked quite funny as many a tiny Thai was giggling as they watched me limbo my way from stall to stall!  It was a good evening. Im really starting to love haggling.....i wonder if it would work in TopShop?!

 Miss Hanpan Rothmann, i have left you a comment on last weeks post. It was fab to hear from you xxx

As always, i love and miss you all. Hope you are all ok. And thank you for all your comments, they make me smile! its always fab to hear from you.

Carrie xxxxxx

Work, stress, tears and Thai Hells Angels!

Its Saturday. Thank goodness! The first week has been a challenge to say the least. There is so much information to take in and retain. Im getting there though, very slowly but surely.

We had to prepare, in pairs, (i was with Marie) our first mock leason plan on wednesday, with a paragraph of text to use as a reference, to be performed infront of the rest of the class (there are 4 of us on the course), which i duly stressed over and even stayed up untill 1am sorting out as i knew i wouldnt be able to sleep if i didnt have it all sorted.
In the morning Meghan went first and did an awsome job and it was good to see what Stephan (our teacher) expected from us. Then Marie went next and also did a fab job. After she had finished Stephan handed out a DIFFERENT text and asked me to prepare this for my lesson plan the following day......i have never felt so deflated in my life. After all that stress and the late night!
I phoned home that night and just cryed down the phone at mum for about 15 mins about my horrid day and how i wasnt any good and i just wanted to not be here. But, mum being mum said that i wouldnt be me if i was like this at the begining and she and my dad would have been worried if i wasnt having a bit of a wobble. And this made me feel so much better, it was good just to let it all out and then calm down and then just get over it and on with it. Which i did. After i got off the phone with mum i worked out my lesson plan in 1 hour and i was quite pleased with it.
The 'perfomance' itself the following day wasnt to bad and i felt more comfortable up infront of the class than i though i would. So hopefully ill get better each time.

After the stress of the week it was such a relief for the weekend to finally be here! We all had that Friday feeling. The sun was shining the sky was blue and it was almost going home time! We had all planned on going to a bar that is owned by one of the teachers at the school, as she was putting on a free BBQ and i never say know to free food! We arrived at the bar at 8pm and found some of the Japansese students from the school (that are there to learn English-and eventually be taught by us)already there and drinking. They are all so lovely and although a little shy, wanting to talk to you in English and ready to learn new words and cockney rhyming slang! After the Japanese group went home we stayed on and got chatting to many random people and drank many more beers and somehow ended up chatting to a group of slightly intimidating leather clad Thai's, who turn out to be really friendly and wanting to know about us and about our teachng course and who we wanted to teach, and how all teachers deserve respect. When i asked one of them where he learnt to speak such good English, i was met with the answer "Ahhhh, The Shawshank Redemption. Its my favourite movie." He had apparently watched it so many times he could recite it word for word and that was how he learnt English. Crazy! I was also chatting to quite a tall Thai with really long wavy hair and a bandana across his fore head, covered with chunky rings and leather chatting about goodness only know what at this point, when Marie leaned over and said "The guys we are talking are the Thai equivilant of Hells Angels. The guy you're talking to is like the head Angel." i wasnt overly sure what to say to that so i just ordered another beer and carried on chatting. They were all so nice though, they were working the Hells Angels look really well, but i kind of got the impression that if they were told of by there mothers they would be reduced to small boys. They were polite and friendly, the only time one of them got a bit peed off was when the token German/Barvairian in the group got narky with Marie, but bandana man just told him tho sit down, be nice to ladies and if he cant have fun, then he should go home.
We stayed out chatting with them untill about 4am at which point i said i had to go. It was only a 15 minute walk down the road but a very nice Angel said he would give me a lift (*dont worry mum, i asked Vanessa, the teacher and the owner of the bar if they were dodgy, and she said she knows them well and they are all good guys*) so i got a lift home on the back of a motorbike! (a scary experience for a car driver such as myself and one that probably wont be repeated but it had to be done once in my life!)

Well thats it for now im afraid, the next exciting installment will be coming your way soon! Im off to the movies with Marie as it is chucking buckets outside! Love to you all. XXXXX

Meeting the others! / The first day at school!

Update time!

 Yesterday morning Meghan arrived and after my slightly weird day on my own when i first arrived it was fantastic to talk to someone. She's very talkative and really nice. I suppose when you throw yourself into these kind of situations everyone you meet is like minded so you are all going to get along. Together we went to knock on Adams door (who we discovered had arrived the previous evening) and introduced ourselves. Adam is also chatty and easy to get along with, so between him and Meghan it was nice to just listen and chill out with them, as I think you all know how talkative i am with new people! The rest of the day was really good. We all went exploring Phuket town, and walked along the beach and had some decent food, which was a pleasent change from the emergency pot noodle thing i had to buy the previous night. Blegh!

I did my first bit of Thai haggling also, more by mistake than anything else (i was riffling through my purse to see if i had enough cash and the woman just kept on lowering the price) and Meghan and i managed to get ourselves some fake designer sunglasses, fake Rayban no less!! 600 BHT for the pair, which is like 3 pounds each.

Meghan and Adam went out for a 'few drinks' in the evening, but feeling slightly tired after all that walking i declined. Im kind of glad i did, as they didnt come back from town until about 3am this morning! Classes started at 10am and we had to be ready to leave at 9.30am. They both looked tired!
Although i opted for the early night, my body clock thought other wise and i got about 2 hours of proper sleep and the rest of the night was just light napping. I think it was also because i was worried about what to expect from the course and my head was just going into overdrive.

As it turned out, it was a good day. Plus we met the other person on the course, Marie, who is great. She comes from London, but has been traveling around for about 3 years i think she said. She's also nice and easy to get along with.
  I think the course going to be a real challenge (we found out that we will be teaching adults, not kids...heyho) and i'm going to have to work really hard at getting my head around everything we have to learn but if i don't freak out too much, ill be just fine.

  Our teachers are nice too. 1 is German, 1 is Canadian and the other is Thai. The German is quite intense in his teaching, but i think that is mainly because there is so much for us to get through (he teaches us Methodology - the method of teaching) but i really enjoyed his class as it was a real eye opener to what and how our future students will be feeling when we attempt to teach them English. He did this by teaching us a bit of Japanese, talking only in Japanese. I got the first few phrases down ok, but then more were added and i had brain meltdown and just forgot everything and ended up slipping a few English words into the mix... like ''Oh'' and ''bugger.''

 Our next lesson was Grammar, taught to us by a very laid back Canadian who went off at many a tangent when chatting and teaching us, which was a pleasant change of pace from Methodology. It was quite daunting to see how little i actually know about my own language. Verbs, Adverbs, Polite Particles, regular and irregular verbs, comparatives and superlatives, i could go on but im beginning to freak myself out again!

 To finish of the day we met our final teacher, Tin, who is to teach us about Thai culture and some language skills. She was fab, so lovely, softly spoken with a wicked sense of humor. It was a lovely way to finish off  a surprisingly enjoyable day.

It is bucketing it down at the moment and has been on and off all day. Hopefully going to meet up with Marie for some dinner in town later.

Ill add some photos soon hopefully, i just need to find a PC that my photo card fits! C x

I've arrived. The first day and night is survived!

I have arrived.! The flight was long but comfy and after 14 hours i got here in 1 piece. Feeling a long way from home and want to just pop over to mum and dads at the mo, but i think i just need to chill out and take it one day at a time. The hotel is lovely. The room is large with air con chugging out at a hundred MPH so its a little bit chilly in the room! Ive had a good nights sleep and yesterday i found a mini mart so got some breakfast for this morning. If im feeling brave i may go for an explore later.

The Hotel is on a hill with a bit of traffic chugging up and down (whole families on the back of 1 motorbike!) The staff at the hotel are friendly and nice but i am yet to meet anyone else on the corse with me although i am told they are coming/have already arrived. I shall keep you posted. Wish me luck for my first day at school tomorrow!! xxx

The night before!

Well, here I am. The night before the flight, packed and ready to go. To say that today has been a smidge stressful would be an understatement and I can safely say, with both hands on my heart, that I would not have made it had it not been for my mums organisational skills, practical thinking and general mum-ness.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThank you Mum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So, with the backpack packed (and still under the weight limit!!!) a rucksack masquerading as hand luggage, a snazzy handbag and a belly full of butterflies, i am ready to face the unknown....well, just about, lol.

The plan is to take one day at a time, work hard, don’t panic and stay safe.

Hopefully the next time i post on here, it will be with some fabulous photos! Wish me luck!

3 days to go and getting slightly stressed

I leave on Friday. I have packed my bag. Everything is under control.


One of the above statements is untrue.

I have bought everything that i really need to go out there with anything else can be easily bought out there. But i neglected to look into the finer points, such as taking the car off the road, cancelling my car insurance and trying to work my way through the Inland Revenue's website so as to print out the relevant forms that need to get filled out and sent off all before Friday! I had a month...a month...off work to sort out all of that, but time has sped up, as it always does when important things need to get done. So, after a minor meltdown, my lovely Mum slowly an methodically worked though the list with me and I think I’m just about treading water now. Phew!

This last week has been busy with many leaving meals and get together with friends and family. It has been fabulous to eat such delicious food and have a good laugh and gossip with my friends. The comedy cake was from The Girls as a lovely farewell gift, it was a very tasty cake but being able to eat my own head proved slightly strange! Tonight it's a meal out with my family and tomorrow its a meal in with my best friend Jo.... with all this food, I'm going to need another seat in the plane just for my belly!

24 days to go!

I had my very last day at work last Wednesday. It was a bit of a weird one as the new nanny was there and there was very little to do aside from tell her bits and pieces about the girls and where everything was in the house. It was just a very lovely, chilled out day with very few PDAs in the evening when i said goodbye (which is a good thing as Ive never been overly good or comfortable with them) but I'm going back there next Friday for a yummy meal, which i am really looking forward to as Linda is a marvelous cook!

Well, as you can see from the title of this blog, there are only 24 days until my departure and I'm starting to get quite a few butterfly's in my stomach. I'm very very excited but also incredibly apprehensive but everything will work out for the best i am sure. I found the website for the hotel ill be staying in and it looks lovely and that has eased my mind some what ....http://www.patonghillside.com/. Doesn't it look lovely!? My home for a month!

I've emailed the two others on my course again and they are both getting just as excited. I have also email Mr F again and found out that there are now 6 people on the course, which is a little better, and he seems confident in some last minute applicants, so watch this space.

The Visa is ready to post and just a few phone calls to make and then i can start wondering what the heck i need to pack as i truly haven't got a clue.....any ideas??????

First Contact!

In my last entry i mentioned that I had asked Mr F to give out my email address to the others on the course with me. It appears he has remembered to do so, (Hurrah!) and i received two emails from students on the course with me at the ending of last week. One is a girl from Canada (22) and the other is a guy from Leeds (25). I have had a few emails between myself and the girl. Both of us, it seems, are very excited about the whole trip and both of us don't know what to pack! She seems friendly so hopefully we will get along well when we meet up in 8 weeks time. I wrote an email back but i am yet to receive a reply from the guy in Leeds, but hopefully that will come soon, with a little bit about himself so that we can both get an idea of what we all are like. The forth person is a mystery. Male, Female, young, older, who knows. So far i am the oldest at 30, but seeing that i have the mental age of a geeky teenager i don't think that will be an issue.

My friend Catherine has a friend who also (yes you've guessed it..) has a friend, who has been to Thailand and was teaching English out there for a few years. She has very kindly given me her phone number so that we can have a chat about her experiences out there and what i can expect out of the country and the course when i am there. A tutor of one of my girls also has family out there and has given me her daughters email address so that we can meet up if we want to when I'm in Bangkok, which is just super kind of her.

8 weeks to go! Blimey! It feels like time is speeding up. I only have 2 and a bit more weeks at work before i leave and have my month off before i fly out. A whole month off...i can not wait!!!!!
I still have to fill out the visa application but that is pretty much the last thing to do on my 'To Do List' and then all i have to do is sit on an aeroplane for about 12 hours or more and watch some clouds go by!

OK. I'm ready. Bring it on!

Ramblings and Progress Updates.

You'll be pleased to hear that i am feeling less sorry for myself today, Hoorah!!!! and i am being very pro-active!!! I have been emailing the very nice man, Mr F, at the language school in Phuket asking a whole bundle of questions, some relevant and some....not so. Why he has not told me to stop harassing him yet i do not know, I've got to admire the guys Patience understanding and general uber helpfulness.

Apparently i do not need to take any pens, note pads or any of the usual stationary shenanigans with me as the school will provide them all, which is good for keeping down the luggage weight but a bit of a shame as i always loved buying brand spanking new pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers and, of course, a swanky new pencil case to put 'em all in. I remember mum buying all that for me for secondary school and they would stay safe and shiny and new right up until the first day of term or maybe about a week in if i was lucky, then they would all just get borrowed, be trashed, or just lost... school memories...sigh. But anyhoo, i digress, i have more important and exciting things things to talk about and purchase like, Travel Insurance...Wooooooooo!! (?)

I asked Mr F if he knew yet how many people would be on the course. In the brochure it says that the average class size is between 12 and 16, but i figured what with our current economic situation and the protests that have been taking place in Thailand that the numbers maybe down a bit.......Mr F said so far, 4 people have enrolled on the course including me! Now, for a slightly socially handicapped (shy, introverted, call it what you will) person such as myself I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Less people is less daunting, but it also means that the friendship pool is on the shallow side and that means we all have to get along. There are less names to remember which is a plus, but also, the chances of me doing my normal thing of blending into the background are slim to none. I did say to Mr F that because there was so few of us, would he give my email out to the other students so we can at least introduce ourselves before we get there and know a little about each other, that way it might seem a little less scary. So far i haven't got anything back but there's still a few weeks to go, so fingers crossed.

I did get to do the exciting thing of shopping for smart clothes on Friday (whilst i was supposed to be getting my last Hep B jab...whoops! It has been rescheduled.) This may not sound terribly exciting for the rest of you, but for the past 7 years i have been in a job where it really doesn't matter what i wear, I try not to be scruffy but mostly its just jeans, t-shirt, pumps or trainers. So the chance to shop for 'smart stuff' was just fabulous, i tried on so much, most of which was totally inappropriate for the climate out there but fun to try on anyway. Ive ended up with a lovely blue shirt (an item i had to buy as all trainee teachers when on work placement have to wear this) and a pair of cute light tan girls chinos, for the record they are straight legged not tapered...no one should do tapered! I already have some smart black shoes, but might force myself to buy another pair.....just in case.

I've printed out all the info on the school plus the Phuket school licences that Mr F sent me, so now all that remains to be done is to fill in the 30 day Visa form and put all the printed out stuff with it and send it off to the Consul in hull and hope they say, 'Yes Carrie, of course you can come into our country. Welcome! Welcome!' .......Fingers crossed.

Feeling Melancholy With 10 Weeks To Go

The planning of my Thailand trip has been going on now for over a year and the wheels are very much set in motion. However, I'm starting to think that I've taken this idea of me going so far away a little too lightly.

It's all been about the preparation so far and what fun it is to be playing the part (for at the moment that is how it feels) of the daughter/sister/friend that is going away to a far flung land and how ''so excited i am'' to be going and ''wont it be great for you all to fly out to Thailand to see me'' etc, but now that the preparation time is coming to an end and the reality of the situation is becoming clearer and nearer, i find that the knots in my stomach are becoming tighter and tighter. It is a staggering 30000 miles to Thailand from London, on an 11 hour flight with tickets costing upwards of £400! It's not like my friends and family can just pop over on a long weekend!

As wonderful as the idea is of people coming out to see me and however many good intentions there are of them doing just so, i think the fact remains that life will, inevitably, get in the way and that that is all they will end up being, good intentions and I am not going to see my friends and family again for a while. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not at all bitter or angry about it, far from it in fact as they are all on their own Big Adventures, whether that be a well deserved once in a lifetime holiday, marriage, new jobs, new houses or new babies and i will happily and willingly give them all the support and love that they have shown me.....it's just that they are such a big part of my life and i am sad, because i know how much i shall miss them.

The Tale of The Snooty Hairdresser.

I've been an unnatural red-head since last Autumn and have been toying with the idea of going blond again for a while. So today i went into a hairdressers that i have been to before, though not for a while, to have a consultation.
She (the hairdresser, lets call her 'Mona') got off on the wrong foot right from the very start by talking to me as though i was A: Hard of hearing, B: Slightly deranged and C: Just plain stupid. However, i had been told that she was their best colourist so just went with it. She then starts flipping my hair up and down and running her hands through it saying...''It's rather thick, isn't it!?'' but saying it in an accusing way, like its going to mean a whole lot extra work for her and how dare i have such thick hair! (Well, I'm so sorry, but will i not be paying over the odds for your services anyway?! Humph.) Then Mona just plops the proverbial cherry on top by holding up the ends of my hair looking at the split ends and SNEERING! Actually scrunching up her face and letting out a huffy sigh! In my head I'm thinking..''You stuck up *****'' but thankfully, by some miracle, this is not one of those times i voice my thoughts out loud (i do tend to do this a lot, and it does get me into trouble on occasions) Instead i go for the tamer and less satisfying...''Well there really isn't any need to pull that kind of face!'' To Mona's credit she did look embarrassed for a nano second before lecturing on the uses of hair straighteners. I love my straighteners, i would have the biggest flickiest hair without them, so there is no way on Gods good earth that i am going to stop using them just because some random snotty woman is telling me too. So, anyway, i sat there for the next 5 minutes being spoken down to but managing to smile sweetly, nod at the right things and be polite by booking a time to have the high lights put in, knowing full well that tomorrow i will be cancelling said appointment as i really don't want that woman anywhere near my hair.

When did it get so hard to find a decent hairdresser? One that listens to what you want and talks to you like a human being and above all, one that you can trust not to botch the job. A friend of mine has recently moved back to our home town after 7 years living 200 odd miles away but couldn't find anyone to cut her hair as well as the guy she'd been going to before, so she travels those 200 odd miles back to have it cut by him.

Hairdresser and hairdressee (<- is that even a word?) is an important relationship and i don't think I'm making too big a deal out of this......well, OK maybe a little but you're trusting someone with what is a big part of your personal style and a part of your personality. You're trusting them to not slip up and give you a bowl cut, a mullet or turn your hair green, etc.

Ive come to the conclusion, that red is the new blond anyway......or maybe i just don't want to fork out a small fortune to sit in a chair for 3+hours and be made to feel like every split end in the world is somehow my fault whilst being offered luke warm tea and plain biscuits..... Home hair dye kit (plus a hot Cuppa tea and a chocolate biscuit) here i come!

Live Long and Prosper

The weekend is over again (boooo) and another working week commences (Yay??). It's been quite a good weekend though. I went to see Star Trek at the local cinema with my dad on Thursday (yes i know it's not technically the weekend, but the movie was so good i had to mention it on here somewhere!) It was FABULOUS, go and see it if you haven't already. Neither my dad or i are fully fledged Trekkie's, we don't don pointy ears and weird hair dos to look like Spock, nor do we know how to talk Klingon......however, i think it is safe to say we are fans as there just maybe a box set containing every season of Enterprise in the family home and my dad and i, for as long as i can remember, have always given each other the Vulcan sign in the form of a Hi-5 when we randomly pass each other in the house! I'm not embarrassed, It's our thing and long may it continue!

Friday was slightly horrendous, in that i had to get into work for 7am so, naturally, Thursday night i couldn't get to sleep. I managed 5 hours and was slightly hyper from lack of Zzzzzz's by the time i was at work. I had managed to do all the Friday chores by 8.20am and even had the washing on the line (Go Me! Woop Woop!!). The kids were dropped off at school, and i went out for breakfast with friends, still buzzing from lack of sleep and the 3 cups of coffee consumed that morning. By the time id got back to work at 11am i was on a speedy come down from the mornings manic productivity and caffeine intake and.......Oh. My. Goodness......I haven't felt that horrible for a long time. Looking back, i think it was a lot to do with the 2 previous days worth of inoculations floating about in me as well as lack of Zzzzzz's. Either way, I spent the next 2 hours curled up on the sofa feeling disgusting. To cut a very looooooong day short, i got off work at 7pm still feeling horrid and went straight to bed still feeling rough. I am not cut out for 12 hour days!

Saturday was good fun, up to a point.... Jo, you are my bestest friend in the whole wide world.....but i am soooooo very pleased/relieved that after 6 HOURS of shopping you finally found such a lovely outfit to wear for the wedding. We knew it was going to be a struggle, what with you being the only shape that designers and clothing outlets do not cater for, but with only a mild case of stroppiness towards the end of the day before Monsoon (god bless its over priced cotton socks) saved us from what could have been a full on tantrum on the shop floor. I think we both deserved a medal (and a sit down with a large glass of wine.)

As for Sunday, well, 'chillaxing' was the name of the game and i was it's over all winner! A few bits of jewellery were made for next Sundays craft fair but other than that it was all about DVDs, Ice creams, and lounging about surrounded by squishy cushions, maaaaaaaaaavelous.

So, that was my weekend. Not overly exciting i grant you. But this is, after all, my blog so i figure I'm aloud to bore you once in a while. Hopefully I'll make it up to you when life gets more exciting out in Thailand. 15 weeks and counting!!!

Cute Babies, Smirking Nurses and Silly Sayings.

I woke up late this morning but still managed to get to work early....I don't know how that happened, but wish it would happen more often just so i could get those 15 minutes more under the duvet and not feel guilty about it.

It was the usual shenanigans of getting the girls ready for school (but minus the eldest as she'd already left early to go on a school trip.) We did everything we usually do for the morning routine, hair brushed, teeth cleaned, bags ready, hair brushed again, but much like my own pre-work morning we somehow managed to have 15 minutes to spare before we had to leave for school. So, like the good nanny that i am, i switched on the tv and we got to watch The Gilmore Girls for a bit before time caught up with us.

With the kids safely at school learning 'stuff', i was off to the doctors again to get my 2nd lot of Hep B jabs. It must have been post natal check up morning there, as ive never seen so many tiny babies in one room. All very small and sweet, but very noisy. How can something so small be able bellow like that?! I found myself making all sorts of faces at the noisier ones trying to make them react or smile, that by the time i was called through to the nurses room i found that my face was aching quite alot.

The nurse was very nice, and super quick;

Nurse: ''Hello, here for your second lot of HepB?''
Me: ''Yes, please.''
Nurse: ''Which arm today?'' (i roll up my sleeve) ''left?....ok.''
AIM AND JAB
Nurse: ''There we go, all done. Make an appointment for 1 months time and I'll see you then.''
Me: ''Thank you. Byesy bye!'' (This is said in slightly over enthusiastic manor and causes the nurse to smirk slightly.)

The time it takes to to read the above is probably the amount of time i was in her office, so when i said she was 'Super Quick', i wasn't kidding.....and just so you know, I have absolutely no idea why i said ''Byesy Bye'' to her! I mean, Who says that now days!? I never say that!!.....well apparently now i do... but believe me when i tell you that it will be the first and last time ''byesy bye'' will ever come out of my mouth as I don't think i could cope with the inner cringe that comes immediately after the realisation that you've just made an idiot of yourself in public.....again.

Chocolate makes everything better.

It's a cloudy, wet day here today, but somehow i seem to be in a chirpy mood! I arrived at work early (not unheard of, but still quite rare) and even had time to finish my cup of tea before I drove the kids (who were also less grumpy today too, thank goodness) to school. Back to work again to check the emails and tidy up a bit and then back in the car to go to the Travel clinic. This morning was the last lot of Rabies and Jap B vaccines! YAAAY!

The nurse at the Travel Clinic called me Catherine again, even though I've filled out 20 forms with my actual name on them, but I'll let her off this time as she did look slightly harassed, and it's got to be a tad boring just jabbing people in the arm with needles all day long. Speaking of which, my poor arm now feels all heavy and achey, so to cheer it up I'm going to buy it some Chocolate, I have a feeling that might work!

Tomorrows fun filled day includes washing, baking and Hep B jabs...though not all at the same time, but that could make it more exciting!

My First Blog / Preperations and stuff

Only 4 months to go until i jet off to Thailand! Or 16 weeks, which sounds a whole heap scarier, so I'll stick to counting down in months for now if that's OK. Well, i suppose i should get you up to speed on what been happening so far. OK, the to do list reads as follows...

• Sort out new photo for passport


• Apply for new passport


• Get vaccinations


• Apply for working Visa

The new passport photo was taken. God bless SnappySnaps for making me look half decent! The passport was applied for and everything was dandy and they sent it back to me within 3 weeks, which was very speedy, so thanks to Mr Passport Office ( as im sure that's his offical title) for being super efficient.

A quick word of advice to those of you thinking or planning to travel...get your vaccination jabs done as soon as possible! i kinda left mine a little too late and am now paying the price by going on accelerated courses of inoculations, which basically means I'm being stuck with a needle pretty much every week and to top it all off I'm paying for the privilege too. My lovely local doctors have given me my boosters already for Typhoid, Diphtheria, Hep A, and a few others i cant remember (they were free! yay) and a 3 month course of Hep B (which was £60, boo) But I'm having to travel a few miles down the road to get the more 'hardcore' vaccines from the Travel clinic, these include Rabies and Japanese B Encephalitis all of which will come to the grand total of £280! I KNOW!!! OUCH...in more ways than one! But this is why I've been saving like crazy, but it just seems so unfair to have to pay for something that, yes OK will save my life but, it really does hurt when Nursey takes aim at my upper arm and stabs me like she's going for the bulls eye on a dart board. Still, it's the last lot of 'hardcore' vaccines tomorrow and then on Thursday it's the 2ND lot of Hep B, then only one more of those next month and then its a blood test to make sure I'm immune and then if I'm not....well, then I'm planning on crawling into a corner to have a bit of a cry. But that's a little way off yet, so fingers crossed it'll all be worth it.

I still have to apply for the working visa, but the very helpful man at the language school in Phuket told me to wait until a month before i leave to send that off, as they are activated the moment they are issued. That is the only thing that I'm nervy about really, i mean...what if they say ''No''?! Again, its a little way off yet so i need to stop worrying.

Apart from saving those beautiful monthly pay cheques to help me with my trip, I'm planning on also subsidising my Thai adventure by selling handmade jewellery at craft fairs with my good friend Clare who also makes gorgeous jewellery. It's my first craft fair this year and I'm soooo excited. I've been slightly obsessed with making stuff and getting the display sorted that I have made my old bedroom at my mum and dads into a total beaded bomb site! (Sorry mum and Dad xxx) But it will all be worth it when we sell our fabulous stuff (and it really is fabulous, no crappy crafting for us, oh no!!) and make a million......well OK, probably not a million but at least breaking even with a little bit of a profit, that would be amazing!! The fair isn't until the 21st of June so Clare and i still have a little bit of time left to get ourselves ready. So if you fancy coming down to see our wonderful stall and many others besides, then come to Shenfield Common (Essex) on Sunday 21st June! Hopefully it will be a bright and sunny day to bring out the crowds. I'm off to make myself a cheese and ham sandwich now...mmmm...foooood, but ill let you know how tomorrows jabs go. C x