FEBRUARY

Tuesday 1st

I'm half way through reading an excellent book lent to me by Clare. It's called "Are you experienced" and is about two young people backpacking around India for three months. It's hilarious and a must read for the people who've spent time traveling around India with me. ... so Matt, Sharron, Andy, Samantha, Kev, Christine and Graham, go out and buy it. It's by William Sutcliffe btw.

Wednesday 2nd

Did you know that today - 2/2/2000 - is the first time for over 1100 years that the date has only contained even numbers, not a single odd number. The last time was 28/8/888.

Sad isn't it!

Shep

Played squash again. won a bottle of wine this time (beats last week's pizza)

Thursday 3rd

I've found out that it's not a cardinal sin to photograph monks, who you see in the strangest of places, so I'll try to gets some unusual shots in the coming months. Here's the first photo of a bunch waiting with me to catch a bus:

Love to know what they've got in those blue handbags.

Friday 4th

Nick's introduced me to "Flash" for making clever things for web pages. Here's an example...Click on the puzzle below to while away the hours...

Dinner in the (according to Metro magazine) Bangkok's top Thai food restaurant.

Saturday 5th

Pauline's leaving this summer so my job today is to shortlist candidates for her replacement. I have a pile of 25 letters of application and CVs to read through and it's taking me ages. I started reading them over breakfast (on the roof), moved to the office when it got too hot then finally to tha lazyboy chair downstairs. It's now 2:30pm and just about siesta time. Still another ten to read.

Sunday 6th 

Thanks for putting that game on..........I can't get off it! Addictive or what?   

How's everything with you? I've been out on the patio this morning, doing work like you. I then had to come in when I got too wet and cold, to sip a warm coffee. Oh how our lives are mirrored so much.   

NC

 Monday 7th

The old couple...

The little old couple walked slowly into McDonalds that cold winter evening.
They looked out of place amid the young families and young couple sitting
there that night.  Some of the customers looked admiringly at them You could
tell what the admirers were thinking:

 "Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for
60 years or more!"

The little old man walked right up to the cash register, placed his order
with no hesitation and then paid for their meal.

The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off of
the tray.  There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink.
The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in
half.  He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted
out the French fries, divided them into two piles and neatly placed one pile
in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and
then set the cup down between them.

As the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger the onlookers began to
get restless.  Again you could tell what they were thinking:

."That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of
them."

As the man began to eat his French fries one young man stood and came over
to the old couple's table.  He politely offered to buy another meal for the
old couple to eat.  The old man replied that they were just fine.  They were
used to sharing everything.  Then the onlookers noticed that the little old
lady hadn't eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and
occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

 
Again the young man came over and begged them to let him buy them something
to eat.  This time the lady explained that no, they were used to sharing
everything together.  As the little old man finished eating and was wiping
his face neatly with a napkin the young man could stand it no longer. Again
he came over to their table and offered to buy some food.  After being
politely refused again he finally asked a question of the little old lady.
 Ma'am, why aren't you eating? You said that you share everything.  What is
it that you are waiting for?"

She answered, "The teeth"

Thanks Samantha.

Mary Ann and Mike Good from ISS Singapore came to visit today. Thoroughly impressed with the school!

Tuesday 8th

 

One of the huge lecture theatres at one of Bangkok's many universities.

Wednesday 9th 

Nick's made a web page showing pictures of his new baby:

http://members.tripod.co.uk/babyfinn/flashfinn.htm

I should say at this point, particularly for the readers in the UK (picking their jaws up off the floor) who will know Nick Cripps, that it is Nick Connoly who's the new Farther ... Nick Cripps has had nothing more than a little indegestion after eating bangers and mash... (that's true... that's what he had for Tea last night... he told me)

Thursday 10th

 So while one Nick is putting photos of Finn on the web... The other Nick is dreaming:

Last night I dreamt that I was on a desert island. I don't know how I got there, but when I looked around, I saw that everything was purple. The beach, the sea, the trees and even me. Then I realised what had happened. I'd been marooned!

 NC

You wouldn't think that this man used to write a monthly column for a popular UK magazine would you?

Friday 11th

Eating at open air restaurant .... felt tickling sensation on back of neck ... COCKROACH !! (Yeauch). It ran down my side and across my leg... and only this week had we been discussing at school the scene from "Damage Done" where a cockroach burrowed into a man's ear and laid eggs inside his neck. Yeauach again!!

Saturday 12th

Traveling home last week in the "seelor" that waits outside the school to ferry people short distances, I was opening a letter from my sister in which she had sent me the latest photograph of her son, my nephew, Jamie. The driver saw the photo and said he wanted to make a sketch. I lent him the photo and two days later he presented me with the drawing below!

Sunday 13th

Watching adverts on Thai TV is quite amusing. Even though you can't understand a word they're saying, you know exactly what's going on as they are so similar to English TV ads for similar products.

Like the one for Sunsilk shampoo. You know the tasteful, discreet pictures of a naked girl in the shower (or waterfall) looking fabulous as she caresses the shampoo bottle. The only difference here is that the naked girl under the waterfall is one of our senior students from school!!

Monday 14th

Valentines day. Went out to lunch and on the way back passed a street vendor selling single roses for only 15 baht each. In a fit on impulse I bought a dozen and dispatched them around school (via pupils) to female office staff saying they were from secret admirers. Wow, the words "cat", "among" and "pigeons" spring to mind!

Tuesday 15th

 

Some of my Year 13 IB students studying the properties of Apollonius' Theorem using multilink cubes. These are the heads of industry of tomorrow in Japan, Thailand and China.

Wednesday 16th

At last, I've finished reading that book about two young people backpacking around India for three months (See diary entry 1st Feb). So many of the experiences described I can really relate to, including the feeling when you get back home to Britain:

"Driving home from Heathrow, I felt almost as if I was seeing London for the first time. I was amazed by how clean it all was, how there were proper roads with pavements everywhere, how all the shops had enormous glass windows at the front, how the only animals were plump little dogs on leads, and how all the cars moved around as if they were in a road-safety film. No one seemed to be just hanging out - people were all marching around, purposefully going somewhere. Everyone was in their own little bubble, hidden behind glass, or a raincoat, or even just a fast walk.

And for some reason English number-plates all looked really silly. The whole place seemed more like a kind of Toytown than a city. There was something unrealistic about everything - as if it was all a parody of silly little England.

The first thing I did when I walked through the front door was to gulp down a glass of water straight from the tap. What a luxury!"

Thursday 17th

"Carlton Television are recording the brand new series of the hugely successful "Soul Music" programme, to be aired in and around the Midlands. Soul Music celebrates a wealth of creative musical talent by showcasing bands and singers whose music has Spiritual Roots. THE SAHOTAS are due to record a special track for Soul Music in a couple of weeks at Carlton studios. The Brotherhood boys will be in their Spiritual Soul Vibe."

Friday 18th - Monday 21st

      

Half Term Adventure

Click here to read about it

Sausages in Laos

Tuesday 22nd

Took me a lot longer to write about Laos than I thought it would. Think I need a siesta now.... why is it that you have a relaxing holiday then need a rest to get over it?

Wednesday 23rd

The Beach has been released in the western world but not yet here in Thailand. Despite this bootleg copies of the VCD are already on sale on the street. If you remember from a couple on months ago, Rachel got herself a part in the film as an extra. The big question is will she appear in the final cut?

Thursday 24th

Thanks to Shep for reminding me that today would have been the opening night of Firecrackers 5! He also send this:

Only in Britain... can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
Only in Britain... are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
Only in Britain... do Supermarkets make the sick people walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in Britain... do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Only in Britain... do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counters.
Only in Britain... do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on the drive and put our junk in the garage.
Only in Britain... do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.
Only in Britain... do we buy hot dogs in packs of ten and buns in packs of eight.
Only in Britain... do we use the word "politics" to describe the process of Government - "poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".

 Friday 25th

Parents arrive for an eight day stay in Thailand before they continue their round-the-world trip. They're allowed a quick snooze and a shower before sampling Siamese food and entertainment at The Golden Dragon, the biggest restaurant in the world and just "round the corner". They've already mastered the rudiments on the Thai language. They say Hello when they mean Thank you and vice versa.

Saturday 26th

I'm sure if I take the to the Royal Palace today they will act in typically British reserved manner showing due respect for the local culture!!!

 Sunday 27th

Lunch at Shangri La Hotel

Speed boat (white knuckle) trip along the river and canals of central Bangkok

Monday 28th

Cocktails in the Banyan Tree overlooking the city at dusk.

Tuesday 29th

Phew, peace and quiet ... They've gone to Ko Samui for a couple of days.

4pm Phone call from Mom.. Have had seven hours of torrential rain in Ko Samui. Original beach side cabin washed out so have been given a better room higher up the hill.