Another one bites the dust...

Sorry Richard - no offence meant by the title.
It was our supervisor's last night with us tonight. Every time someone leaves I feel so much older - like I am part of the fixtures at work. Considering I didn't intend to be there all that long, it seems like a life time. I just wish the Japan process would hurry up and happen. There has been a hiccup with my visa application, due to a bit that I interpreted the wrong way. Its OK, just adds stress and frustration. I am seriously wanting to finish at work. It is just driving me nuts. Im tired of (feeling like I'm) being treated like an idiot, despite my list of letters behind my name. Quite simply I just want to feel like I am making progress with my life. I want to be the guy people want to be like when they grow up... not the guy people feel sorry for.

A while ago I had made the goal of being in Japan before my birthday. It looks like that will happen - funny thing is I may be flying there on my birthday. It would be kind of sad - because I'd know it was my "special day" and yet noone else would, and the people I'd be travelling with would all be kind of sad too, leaving home for a year or more. On the positive side, I could say I left home for good on my 26th birthday, or that I left home at 13, and 26 (and 2 x 13 = 26). (for the less informed - I went to boarding school for high school, and moved back in with my parents at age 20, when they moved to town.)

That is another thought. I am looking forward to the independence, yet hope that it doesn't lead me into temptation. I will miss being part of my family home. The funny thing is, in the last year I am hardly here and awake when my parents are here and vice versa, due to working the night shift. I have enjoyed having my sister back in Hamilton for the last year too. It has been nice catching up on what we have missed out on. We have always been close, and most of you will know that. I feel a little bad that I have treated her like a captive audience - the friend I can rely on to be there and turn up when I need numbers to operate one of my schemes (eg the Outback feed last week) or the open ear. I hope Bevan doesn't mind too much.

On a positive note it finally feels like the old's are proud to know me. Everyone seems to be asking them about me, which is nice for a change. I just want the Japan thing to finalise itself, so I can stop living in fear that it will snag on something and not eventuate - and then I feel like a fool, and would have basically wasted a year and a half of my life.

Other random thoughts? I have decided that I can't understand the female mind - or should I say interpret the signals sent my way. Reviewing (thinking about) my experiences last night, I felt justified that I was confused. Some signals have been down-right confusing. One such example being the friend who signed my birthday card (for my 16th birthday of all things) Aphrodite. Turned out she just wanted to be friends. Enough said.

A cool idea I have had is to use another blog as a website of miscellanous things, such as Thomasisms (sayings), and speeches and dramas that I have written, (or Thomasterpieces LOL - thought that one up at work - after I stacked a pallet up nicely - a skill that tetris developed).If I do it that way, then the "diary" and the "other stuff" is kept seperate. Why have I bothered to write this? so I have a record of my idea. Nice.

Urban socialite

A random name, but it sounded cool in my head. Slightly inspired by the fact that not so long ago (ie a couple of months ago) I was longing for a social life, now I am glad when I don't have to be anywhere.

This week brought not much at all. Still waiting for the Ministry of Justice (NZ) to send me back a criminal conviction check thing, so I can send it straight to Australia, so they can send it to Japan.

Last night (Friday) I went out with a couple of workmates to the Outback Inn as we had been intending to go so I could show them an Outback platter. It worked out well, as we got it for free as well as a free round of drinks because we had a group of 5, and they do a after-work shout thing. A bit later on we went back in, and the girls got another free drink because it was "ladies night". After the free feed we played a little pool, and then went to the Toyko in Hamilton bar, and sang some Karaoke. I decided it would be cool to try some sakke - a Japanese alcoholic drink - like wine apparently. It was warm, & I believe it was more like a cross between wine and vodka.

Tomorrow I am going to play mini-golf or pitch-&-putt with a friend. Should be cool.

A list of TESOL sites

I thought it would be a good idea to make a page that has all the TESOL website addresses on it, that a friend of mine has given me. I have them in my email, but being the obsessive compulsive paranoid person that I am (I am not really those things - I am just a hypochondriacal that I have those things) I figure it would be cool to have a back up copy here, which will also make them easier to access, and here for the world to find them. Hope you don't mind Rebecca!

http://www.eslgold.com/site.jsp?resource=pag_ex_home
www.learnenglish.org.uk/
http://school.discovery.com/
http://a4esl.org/
http://www.nelliemuller.com/Nellies_English_Projects.htm
http://www.edhelper.com/
http://iteslj.org/Lessons/
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_esol/
http://www.biography.com/
http://www.esl-lounge.com/
www.english-to-go.com
www.onestopenglish.com
www.bogglesworld.com
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/think.shtml
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/try.shtml
www.eslmonkeys.com/teacher/teaching_materials.php
www.englishclub.com/teach-english.htm
www.teachit.co.uk
www.eleaston.com

A full weekend at home. YAY!

This is the first weekend in 5 weeks that I am actually going to be in Hamilton for the whole weekend. The only big thing happening this weekend is the Government election, no biggie really, yeah right.

This ain't a political blog, so I aren't going to comment too much. Most of you that know me will know my political preferences, or at least would guess correctly. What can I say, I am an accountant/aspiring real estate tycoon. However the other side of my personality isn't as well known, and it probably should be. It is this side which is wondering whether to give a vote to a minor party, that doesn't have much of a chance of getting in, or to give it to the big party, to make sure they form the next government. I like the thought of helping out the minor party - for what they stand for, but also because I tend to back the underdog - a legacy I guess I get from being a country boy in a city, in one of the most isolated and small countries in the world.

Enough is enough about the political side. This week has been a tough one, as I have been getting up early (8am-ish, remember I work until 11pm) to complete my forms for Japan. I don't want to go into it much, but it was kind of stressful, mainly because I would just get into the groove and then have to go to work for ten hours, come home at 11pm, and then the circle starts again. This is not helped by my analytical personality. Again the accountant rears his head. It was a case of paralysis by analysis. I get a little paranoid, about making sure I get it right and answer all my questions, and read the fine print. Another motto of mine is:
"Its not what is in front of you that will bite you in the ar$@" or "What you can see won't hurt you, its what you can't that will".

This one of those contemplative entries. Probably because I am tired. Last Friday night was interesting, I had a thought about singleness. Basically I don't mind being single, and am actually kind of glad that I am as it is letting me go to Japan. It is just the odd occasion, such as the celebration for mum & dad's work, where they had a live band. It is just times like those where it would be nice to have a girlfriend so I could dance with them and generally have a good time. I don't know. I need to work it all out, as it is the same issue that keeps coming up. The resulting problem is that gap tries to fill itself with the wrong things, and overshadows thoughts and general enjoyment.

You may have noticed several improvements/changes to my site in the last couple of weeks, such as the photos, but also I have added hyperlinks and links. Generally they are probably meaningless to you - I have actually put them there for myself... its all about me... LOL kind of like my bookmarks of sites I will want to access later while overseas. I also have big ideas about making a page/entry on help for applying to go to Japan - basically by cutting and pasting some of my stuff from word. It is interesting, as Google has just launched a blog searcher, so people could actually find it. The possibilities are endless.

There is a Ranfurly Shield match tomorrow too. Waikato vs. Canterbury. Hopefully we will win the shield off Canterbury.

Back on home turf. For a rest?

As you can guess it has been a rough week, getting back into the NZ rythym again (which hasn't been helped by my staying up late). Australia was one of those holidays where you need a holiday from your holiday, because you are so busy during it.

This last week I have been obsessed with making my blog cool - putting up the pictures and creating hyperlinks. I should have priortised and managed time better, but I am a perfectionist and believe in doing something today rather than tomorrow (hence the above holiday from holiday situation, I can't relax for five minutes). This often gets me into trouble as it makes me late - one of my sayings is (and you heard it here first):
"If you aren't late, you aren't using your time efficiently."

I managed to get some comments! - including some spam which I have since deleted.

I am looking forward to this weekend - it will be the first one in a month that I have actually spent in Hamilton, and a semi-quiet one. Saying that though, going out for lunch tomorrow (Friday), Mum & Dads business is having a 20th Birthday celebration for dinner, and on Saturday night I'm going to Rotorua for tea. And in between all of this I have to sleep and fill in my forms for Japan.

Anyway, this was going to be an early night, but once again I have ended up being here late. I have bags under my eyes and am wondering how to make them go away - getting all self-conscious and metro in my old age... where has the rugged farmboy gone?

I've been everywhere man...

I've spent the last week coming up with cool titles for when I write this entry. I'll try and use them where I can.

Brisbane - Eleven years later...
The night of my last entry I flew to Brisbane.

Which pill will you choose Neo? The blue one or the red one...
Tuesday was the interview, it was very American/Japanese (or how I imagine them to be - ie the atomosphere was very different) I got throught the first part, but at the end of the day I was eliminated - not sure why, as after each stage they give you an envelope which contains a letter that either says come back tomorrow, or thanks for your time but we don't want to pursue this further (very Matrix-like) I was actually happy they rejected me then, as I knew I had the other job, and I wanted to go and spend some time around Brisbane. I got reimbursed too, so I was happy.

Welcome to Paradise/ Paradise city: where the grass is green (mostly yellow) and the girls are pretty
Anyway the next day I went down to the Gold Coast, and went to Movieworld. I felt Movieworld was overpriced, ($60) for what it was worth, and the rides were limited to roller coaster types, which I aren't the biggest fan of, and especially not then as I was a bit dizzy from the humidity. The main reason I went was because I hadn't gone there eleven years earlier when I was an exchange student in Brisbane. I stayed the night in Surfers Paradise at a backpackers - that was pretty cool as I went on a pub crawl with some Poms, Irish girls, and a girl from Finland. The next day I went to Wet'n'Wild (for the above reason), back to Brisbane, and then flew back to Sydney.

The next day (Friday) I went with my mate to the Blue mountains. They were pretty cool.
Saturday I went to Paddy's markets, and then went to a pub in Bondi to see the All Black vs Australia game - which we won, the population of the pub seemed to be 50/50 NZ/Australians. Following that we went back into the city and went up the Sydney tower, which was interesting, yet quite expensive. Also the tower is much older than the one in Auckland, it was built in 1976 - so it was quite retro. The following day of course I flew home. I texted my mother pleading that we have a home cooked meal, as in the ten days I was away, I had only one home-cooked meal, and the four days before my trip had consisted of my usual reheated dinners at work. Anyhow we had tea at my sisters, with all of us, my sister, her husband, and his parents. It was nice.

Planes, trains, and automobiles (and buses)
Thought it was worth adding this bit in too, as it the various modes of transport I ended up using was an interesting experience. Especially for someone who is more familar with just driving places. I used the buses around Sydney and Brisbane, and the trains to the domestic airport in Sydney, to the Gold Coast from Brisbane (including a bus to the station plus a change) and to Penrith from Sydney. All in all I believe it was a great introduction/preparation/taster for when I go to Japan where I believe I will certainly be having to use trains daily.