22 February 2007

Welcome Flickr People

Just wanted to say welcome to all those who I just invited to view my Flickr stuff. I guess you've managed to navigate your way to my blog.
Hey, I might even post something!

offerings in an ancient place

Just testing out this new Flickr-Blogger link thing. Shame this photo is blown out. I didn't realise when i posted it as the thumbnail was too small!

Flickr

This is a test post from flickr, a fancy photo sharing thing.

Unbelievable measures of procrastination

I'm reviving this poor old neglected blog. Or at least I'm going to do my best! I'm off to Thailand and Laos in just two days (actually one if you count my day in Tokyo beforehand) and I can't get my head around my presentations. I've pretty much finished two of them, but the third one is glaring at me from it's little minimised box at the bottom of my screen. I wish I'd said that I would only do two, but it seemed like three was the only option.

The first ten days of my trip will be in a little place called Pak Chong in northern Thailand where two other teachers, me, and a group of students from my college will be building a house with Habitat for Humanity http://www.habitat.org/ap/ . I've bought my workgloves, have packed my old cross-trainers, and am ready to go.

After that, I'm going to spend a couple of weeks in Bangkok. I can't wait! Bangkok, despite the pollution and all the other bad things people point out, is actually one of my favourite cities in the world. And it's exciting how quickly things are changing there. Our favourite vegetarian cafe, which was once just two foldable tables on the side of a street has slowly blossomed. Just ten years from eating with your feet by the sewer to this http://www.thaivegetarianrecipes.com/. May Kaidee now has a cooking school and guesthouse. But thank god she's still making my favourite mango, warm coconut milk, and red sticky rice pudding.

Finally, I'm off to Laos for the first time. I've always wanted to go there and we just never quite fit it in. I'll be working with Teachers Helping Teachers and giving presentations to local Lao teachers of English. They can't really afford to go to the big international conferences and so this one is being brought to them by a bunch of really cool teachers who are volunteering their time, efforts and money. www.geocities.com/yamataro670/tht.htm I'm really looking forward to having a good look round Vientiane. We've already been offered a tour of a coffee plantation.

I really can't procrastinate any longer. Gong he fa choi!