Hectic Few Days

Everytime that I think I can finally relax, I find there is something else I need to add to my ever increasing to do list.

*sigh*

And it's frustrating trying to deal with a Thai woman's broken English when trying to confirm my accommodation plans for next month. She asked me to fill in a form - I filled it in last week. To make it easier I sent her the original forwarded mail so that she could see that she's the one who messed up if things take a turn for the worse. I just feel like it's a race against the clock to try and get everything sorted and confirmed in just 2 weeks, while working every day and still trying to study Japanese. It's definitely hard.

But hey, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Positive thinking.

xoxo

Check Them Out!

I have finally sifted through the 500+ photos that I took in Laos and the first bunch are up on Facebook.

Well, the ones taken in Vientiane anyway!

Check them out!

More to come.

xoxo

What A Bitch!!!!

Because I was feeling nice, I decided to help out some people at work and open an extra slot so that I could teach a client's first lesson.

My oh my, that was a mistake!!!

That client was a teacher's nightmare - rude, cocky, demanding, driving, snotty, arrogant....all unjustified of course.

And to top it all off, she had the cheek to tell me that I was a perfect candidate for botox!! She told me that even though I was young (I failed to inform her that I am, in fact, going to be turning 30 next year, hence justifying showing some signs of ageing), I had a whole load of fine lines on my forehead!!!

THE NERVE!!!

Point number one - even women to women don't ever make any comments about the appearance of lines or grey hairs unless the person in question brings it up first. This woman doesn't even know me, yet felt it perfectly acceptable to just go for it!! My point to her? You wouldn't do it in Japanese, so don't do it in English either.

Point number two - there isn't one because point number one is so good!!! HAHA!

What a BIATCH!!

How did I react?

"Well, I can see that you're obviously a fan of botox yourself"

HAHAHAHA! 

And then she admitted that botox was her...hobby! (seriously woman - get a life!!!)

I could have slapped her one.

Bitch,

And this happened all because I was nice enough to open another lesson. If I had finished at the time I was supposed to, I never would have had to endure her plastic face.

Lesson learnt!

xoxo

Grammar, Grammar, Grammar

So before I go to start my CELTA next month, I have to complete a Pre-Course task.

It's all grammar.....and it's 35 PAGES long!!!

(@ @)

I made a start on looking at it tonight and 11 pages in, I've decided to call it a night! All this grammar terminology isn't actually that difficult (yet) but it's so....like...methodical and doesn't exactly make for stimulating reading. Although I have to admit that I've already had a couple of moments that have made me realise how I can teach a regular grammar point more simple in my lessons. 

I had to leg it to the bank in my break today so that I could make my transfer from my Japanese account to my UK account. I managed to make it before 3pm, so I'm hoping that I should be able to make the final payment for the course early next week. Hoping.

But right now, it's time for a hot shower and then bed!

Oyasumi!

xoxo

Next Stop: Bangkok!

Yay!

So I had my interview for the CELTA course....and have been accepted!

\(^0^)/

I was worried about the interview before because they recommended leaving about 50 minutes for it and I only had my 40 minute break time that I was able to do it in. 

But it was so easy and the whole thing was over in like 20 minutes!!

So it looks like I'm off to Bangkok next month!

So ready to get back in the sun - I'm not made for winter.

Now I'm in a mad rush to try and get everything done. Problem number one - because it's less than a month before the start date of the course, I have to make the full payment within 24 hours...which would be fine, but I can't make the payment in Japanese yen!! So now I have to transfer money to the UK and then do an online transfer into the school's UK account. 24 hours? Never going to happen! They've already sent me 2 emails today asking for payment but I didn't get home until late so I've only just seen them! Even though I'm gonna make the transfers tomorrow, it's still gonna take a few days until the payment's finally confirmed - here's hoping that they understand!!

Problem number 2 - I had a quick look at flights to Bangkok for the dates that I'm gonna be there and they cost an absolute fortune!! Way more than a flight back to the UK!! (T T) It's the tail end of peak season but the weather is absolutely perfect in February, so it's still a super popular time to go over there. The crap thing is, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it - I have to pay. I could risk waiting until the last minute to book but then of course, if the flight is full, I'll be screwed. I wanna fly out the day before the course starts so that I'll be able to work right until the last minute, but that also leaves me no room for any flexibility with my flights. So whatever the cost, I'm gonna have to pay.

I am so pumped!! It'll be nice to get out and live in another country for a bit - even if it is only a month. Just need to get this payment sorted, book the flights, and then I'll be able to relax!

xoxo

And The Ball's Rolling!

I'll tell you what - I'm really hoping that this positive attitude I'm carrying around with me lasts.

Nothing lasts forever, but I'm gonna try and hang on to this for as long as possible! I haven't felt this relaxed and carefree in a long time - all the annoying things about Tokyo, about work aren't giving me the frown lines like they used to. Don't get me wrong - things still bother me and people still bother me but I'm not letting them GET to me. Not like I used to anyway.

Laos really worked wonders me - it really has. And another fabulous point is that I'm WAY more tanned than I even realised! When I was in Laos, my friend and I realised that we had managed to "catch the sun", but coming back and looking in the mirror, I've developed a gorgeous healthy glow....and a sunglasses mark!! DOH! I'm having to plaster make up on the lighter patches to try and make it look a LITTLE more even! HAHA! Absolutely loving this colour!!

So I finally submitted my application to do my CELTA. It all feels a little rushed and last minute - especially since if I get accepted, I'll be off again in just a matter of weeks. During my stopover in Bangkok, I was wondering to my friend if I was ready to come back to SE Asia again so soon after being in Laos for 2 weeks. But the fact of the matter is, February is one of the best months to go.

Bangkok is supposedly the hottest city in the world. When I was there a few years back in December, it was a sauna. April is the hottest (and most miserable) month, then it hits the rainy and typhoon season and then before you know it, it's back to Christmas again. February has the best night time temperatures, plus it's brutally cold in Japan so it's a win-win all round for me to go next month.

Plus, I'm wondering if I'll even do it if I don't do it next month, Something always comes up. The thing that's holding me back in money. I'll pretty much have to empty my account to pay the course, the accomoodation and the flight. I haven't even looked into flight prices yet, and even though it's the end of the peak season, I have a feeling that they're still gonna be pretty pricey. But if I get accepted onto the course, I'll have no choice but to pay!

I guess it's only money. The crappy thing is that whatever I earn this month is not only what I'll have to take with me, but it's also what I'm going to have to live on until payday in April. OUCH!!!! It's definitely going to be tight - there's no question about that! Oh well - I know it will be worth it in the end. All it means is that I won't be able to go away in GW. That hurts so much!! (T T)

On a completely different (and probably non interesting note for you guys!!!), I finally got a 2012 diary and calendar!!! I LOVE starting a new diary - putting in all the appointments for the month and stuff. It always starts off so neat - lol! And they always smell really good! (^_^)

Don't laugh - you KNOW I have a thing about stationery and notebooks and stuff. 

xoxo

DO YOU SEE THIS?!

You know before I told you about the amazing sunset that we saw when we were in the Four Thousand Islands?

Look above.

This is it.

Try and tell me that this isn't stunning!!!

Enjoy.

xoxo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's 2012!!

I hope you all had a fantabulous countdown on NYE!

I got back to Japan a couple of days ago and the freezing cold is just making me wish I was back in Laos.

What a truly, remarkable and very special country.

It has gone straight into my top 3 favourite countries in the world. 

I have never been anywhere so chilled, so relaxed. Vientiane is hands down the sleepiest capital I've ever visited and the country is so docile compared to it's hectic neighbours! Getting back to nature and completely slowing down was tough, I'm not going to lie, but it was so nice to just kick back and cruise along this slow paced life with my friend. I got a lot of thinking time and reflected a lot about the direction that I want to go in this year.


So let me bring you up to speed with the rest of my holiday - if I can even remember! 


NYE was spent visiting the beautiful Kuang-Si falls in Luang Prabang. GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!! It was both exciting and terrifying scrambling through a bit of jungle all the sake of a beautiful view! I was so ill-equipped for any kind of trekking and ended up kicking off my flip flops to get back down this steep hill. I have no doubt in my mind that if I had tried to keep them on, I would have slipped and broken something! The trip up there was a nightmare - of all the tuk-tuks available, we managed to pick the one that had a billion problems wrong with it and spent the whole journey thinking it was going to break down!

The descent

We went swimming in the falls - the water was icy cold - you know when you kinda can't breathe because it's that cold? That's what it felt like but I got used to it to enjoy a little dip before we got sick of being gawped at by other tourists. I'm not joking though - after that day, my thighs were caning for a good couple of days! A sign of my desperately unfit state and also another mental motivation to get my arse to the gym!

The gorgeous Kuang-si falls

Beautiful colours

  
 NYE turned out to be a right surprise! We went back to chill before hitting up the street celebrations when we followed some people and found the nightlife! The 11.30pm curfew until that time had been a bit of a killer, so it was nice to know that it was extended for the countdown and we would be able to cut loose and get wrecked.


And we certainly did that! After stumbling along the streets of Luang Prabang and being embarrassed caught in a fumble, we finally made it back to the hotel...where everyone was already sleeping!! No sooner had my friend's head hit the pillow, he was up again and with his head down the toilet for a good...I don't even know how long it was because I practically passed out myself!!


The next day was brutal. We had to check out and we couldn't check into the next place until in the afternoon. I didn't feel that bad when I got up, but walking through the streets in the blazing hot sun...man, by the afternoon I was feeling like complete and utter crap! But, the beauty of not having planned anything meant that we could afford to spend a day like that. Plus in the meanwhile, we met a fabulosuly interesting woman in a restaurant who understood my love of Brazil and was really nice to talk to.


The next day we hit up the Tad Sae falls. We were really nervous about the weather because when we woke up, it was horrendously overcast and grey. In the space of a few hours, they all cleared and out came the sun and gorgeous blue skies. It wasn't hot enough to go swimming in that icy water though! In the evening we went out for dinner and drinks and met this great British guy. It's rare to find interesting people to talk to when you travel - every conversation becomes the same, but luckily it wasn't like that with him. It was a shame he wasn't hanging around for longer.

The last day in Luang Prabang was perfect. Lazy and beautiful and chilled and perfect. After a nice healthy breakfast, we set of to find a patch of beach along the river. It could so easily be missed and was so quiet. The problem? It was insanely hot and the river wasn't exactly the kind fo place that you could go swimming in. Very rocky on the bottom and with strong currents, we could only paddle, bringing temporary relief from the blazing hot sun.


After a lazy lunch, we went for a nice stroll and found a patch of beach in the shade. We hung out there and then set off to find a good sunset point. It makes me wonder why so many people clamber to the same place when there was all this beach and rocks where you could watch it and with a much better view. The sunset was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. We then headed straight for an early dinner and drinks along the river. The food was great, the conversation was great - it was just perfect. Thank you! (*^_^*)

Stunning senset

The next day we were up early to catch a flight back to Vientiane. I'm not even gonna waste my breath talking about the arsehole owner. All I will say is that he should be grateful that we bothered to pay at all - the informal manner of the guesthouse meant that we so easily could have just left and by the time he noticed, we would have been long gone. 


Back in Vientiane we checked ourselves into the luxury Settha Palace Hotel. I told you about it before - definitely google it! It was a shock to suddenly be faffed over - all the fuss was just annoying and bit embarrassing to be honest! We checked into our room and hung out for a bit - reading about the history of the hotel and admiring the architecture and high ceilings - as well as stealing everything from the bathroom! HAHAHA! We then decided to go and chill by the pool - typical that the one day we had the opportunity to sunbathe, it was cloudy. The sun did eventually break out, but by that time, it was already starting to set. 


That place was so expensive. We had lunch there and after dinner went back for drinks. Probably the most that we have spent during the whole 2 weeks! Outrageous! As gorgeous as the hotel was, it seems like it's a bit wasted in Vientiane. I don't see how they have the tourists to keep it running but hey, they must be doing OK! It was so nice to end our trip in such a luxury and historical place that it didn't even matter at that point!


Then came the laborious trip back to Japan. The whole of the 5th was spent in transit, but the 7 hour layover in Bangkok really wasn't as bad as other layovers that I've had before. Maybe because there were 2 of us, I dunno. We did a spot of shopping - god - dealing with so many different currencies is such a pain!! My friend had completely run out of money, so we were trying to scrimp all this currencies together to get him some food! The flight back wasn't as bad either - mainly because it was shorter, but then when we arrived back in Japan, fatigue hit hard and it was the hustle and bustle of the stations that just made it all that much worse.


Back and work and back to the daily grind now though. My resolve to come back with a better attitude has definitely worked - my first couple of days back have been more relaxed and I've realised that I know what I need to do. Kind of! The break was perfect - it was exactly what I needed.


Laos is such a special country. And it was my pleasure to share the whole experience with such a special friend.


Thank you lovey! 


xoxo