Random thoughts

It's now only a week until we go to New Zealand, I can't believe it's come round so quickly. We've started packing, which is surprisingly easy since we have so little stuff. Coming back to Singapore will be simple now that we know the place. I'm glad we've made the decision to go back to London next April, I am missing my friends and HTB. I'm also very excited about the PGCE, I've decided that Kings College London is my first choice. As much as I would like to study in Oxford or Cambridge, I really want to go back to London where all our friends are.

I'm loving teaching and generally enjoying life, apart from a cold (in this weather, really!) things are good. We met up with some of Paul's DB work colleagues at Lau pa sat the other day, and we played canasta with George and Alex last night. George and I really do have a similar sense of humour, it's quite funny. I had an urge to do some drawing last night, I think I'd like to take some classes once we settle (and probably once I've finished my PGCE). I really need to get on and start the application for KCL for September 2007, I will get on to that today. Working with the 6-8 year olds is fun, but it has made me realise that I definitely want to work with older pupils, so this voluntary work at the Canadian school has been very valuable. We have a gecko (or a chicchac as the locals call them), he is growing rapidly and he lives behind our lounge curtain. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is keeping the mosquito population in check. I keep getting munched,...

Well, this week has been a bit odd. I cam back from Hong Kong on Sunday and got offered a job on Monday. I started teaching English part-time at Goro language school on Wednesday morning. I have two great students; Louson and Yin Hang, as well as a couple of private tutorials with Japanese ladies. It has to be said that I am thoroughly enjoying the teaching. I don't have much time for lesson planning, but that does not matter much as I am only expected to work through the Headway text book with them. The other teachers seem nice too, although they're all a little surprised that I've given up working in an investment bank to work at Goro! It is also valuable experience shadowing Alex at the Canadian International School. It is good to see so many different teaching styles in action. I realise that I have made the right choice with teaching older kids, as much as I like the younger age group I do prefer a bit more interaction. An aside to all this teaching activity i...

I started looking for a job on Friday, and got a call to an interview with Goro language school on Friday evening. I've just had the interview and have been offered the job. I'm excited, I'm finally getting to use my TEFL qualification and I will get some teaching practice prior to applying for a PGCE. The language school is very smart and professional-looking, it is owned by a Japaneses guy called Naga. I think it will be a fun place to work for a few months. We spent the weekend in Hong Kong with Alex. It is a multi-cultural, crowded, noisy and dirty city. That said, it has some awesome geography and is really quite spectacular. I'd booked the hostel, and the confirmation email had warned about 'angry men' and 'mafia' in the lift lobby - always bodes well. True to their word, we did feel a little threatened, but managed to get to our hotel only to find they'd given our room away and put us in an even dodgier hotel. Oh well... at least we h...

Since it looks like we are coming back to Singapore for three months after we've done our two months travelling New Zealand, I've started looking at rental apartments again. I found a nice-looking place in Novena which would be very convenient for friends, church and work. It is modern, clean and light and even comes with a weekly cleaner included in the cost. Brilliant. Why is it that Singaporeans are always late for appointments? I had to wait twenty minutes for the estate agent today. That said, the air conditioning repair guys were spot on time, so I can't really complain. I like having time at home, but I'm also looking forward to doing two days a week at the Canadian school from next week. It will be good teaching practice and it'll be good to be busy again. It's amazing how quickly I've got used to the heat here again after the UK. The humidity is high, but it has great effects on skin and hair. I went for a pedicure yesterday, at my usual pla...

This Blogger site even lets you publish your blog by email.  Let's see if it works. This will be very handy when we are travelling in New Zealand.  Happy birthday to Mum and Luci today.

Back from the UK I just got back yesterday after a cold and enjoyable 10 days in Blighty. It was great to see everyone, and really good to have so much free time in London. I missed Paul loads, but that was made easier by the fact that I was seeing so many good friends over there. I was really lucky with the weather, I had about five really bright, crisp days (just the type I've been missing since living abroad) and a bit of snow. I even managed to take in some of the sights; fleet street, St Pauls, the V&A museum, the National Gallery and the Tate Britain. Plans Paul and I made some plans for the next couple of years yesterday. It feels good to know that we will be able to do all of the travelling we want to do as well as furthering our careers in the way we want to. So, it looks like we'll be back in the UK from April 2007. Then I'll start my PGCE in September 2007. Back to Singapore It's surprisingly good to be back. The weather is certainly very agreeabl...

Teaching I really do think that I'd like to teach, it would certainly keep me busy all the time. I enjoy managing my own time and being my own boss. I understand that teaching can also be fraught with difficutlies, but at least I would never have to sit and stare blankly at a flickering computer screen for eight hours a day again. UK Trip I'm looking forward to my trip to the UK. It will be good to catch up with friends there, even if it will be quite cold. If I plan things right I should be able to see everyone I want to see. I'll miss Paul, it will be the first time we've been apart for more than a day since we got married. Purpose Driven Life I'm reading Rick Warren's 'Purpose Driven Life' at the moment. It certainly is a compelling read, a bit like a follow up to Alpha. I'm reading it at just the right time for me, it's time to put some of these things into practice. It seems that a lot of the sermons and teachings that I'm coming across ...

Chinese New Year We once again found ourselves on Sibu Island, Malaysia at the weekend. It's a lovely spot, the huts are basic (no air-conditioning, no hot water), the food is plentiful and wholesome and the atmosphere very relaxed. Paul and I continued our bridge learning curve with George and Alex, and we enjoyed good wine and interesting conversation over the four days. The sun shone and there was a lovely breeze all weekend. You really can't beat the soporific sound of waves lapping on shore to put you to sleep. We took a walk to the fascinating small village in the south of the island. It was neat, well-organised and had neatly-trimmed grass areas. The cattle and chickens roamed free, while the cats were locked in cages. It was odd to see hundreds of coconuts lying at the foot of palm trees drying in the sun. Food I'm still doing Atkins, I still feel good and I'm enjoying the food choices. However I still occassionally fancy a coffee - glad someone invented decaf w...

Once again I found myself with a friendly-looking Singaporean wanting to stick a needle in me. This time it was my choice, just a check up for general health. Anyway, after the normal worried look by the doctor as I told them I may faint, all went well. I love these Atkins breakfasts; salmon, cream cheese, strawberries and avocado. Happy, healthy food for a happy, healthy me. Food cravings all gone, no chocolate since 10th January. Nothing to do again at work today, my managers have a big presentation, I'm not included. So I guess I just sit tight and wait for Chinese New Year to arrive. A lovely long four day holiday awaits me. We're going to the driving range to have a go at a bit of golf, if I like it I might even buy a club and use the driving range in the condo. We really are lucky to be able to live here for a while, the standard of living is very high and very cheap. The weather, public transport, food and facilities are all superb. Not somewhere I'd like t...

Teaching Once again I have nothing to do at work, and once again I find myself daydreaming about teaching. I'm beginning to think I should just get on and do it. I've just spent some time on the internet and found out about something called 'Teach First'. It's two years teaching in challenging inner city schools in London while at the same time receiving high quality leadership training from top employers, all while earning a decent salary. This is the first time I've heard of this, it's quite an exciting concept. To make a difference, get good training, earn a salary and become a qualified teacher all in two years.

Food and friends Life in Singapore It does seem that we are properly settling into life in Singapore now. For the first three months we were finding our feet, now we have a pretty established group of friends. We also have more of an idea of what to do and where to go. Life is good and varied, and as Paul said earlier more closely resembles our life in London. Cooking I am really enjoying cooking for us again, this low-carb malarky is great. I feel fantastic, less sluggish, more energetic and generally happier. Most of all, the food cravings have gone. I no longer crave chocolate, caffeine or sugar. Those headaches last week were well and truly worth it (as nasty as they were). I even managed to run for 15 minutes on the treadmill yesterday, if I keep that up, I'll be well and truly fit for walking in New Zealand. I found out today that one of the common desserts here, herbal jelly, is made from ground up turtle shell, yuk. Oh well, I guess it's not as bad as a 'live frog c...

Every now and then I fancy writing down some random thoughts. When I do this I can't always remember where I put them. Then I forget them. So, in order to remember I've started this page. I'll be writing in a somewhat unstructured way, but I guess that doesn't matter too much. Writing things down always helps me to get them straight in my head.