The Inevitable

Just the other day I was feeling really smug about having avoided catching a cold.

There is a massive bout of flu going around at the moment. So many of my students aren't in school and a lot of the ones that are have colds. About 90% of teachers across all my schools are wearing masks because they've caught colds off the students.

I'm been wearing so many layers, I look about 4 sizes bigger than I actually am. I've been avoiding touching any of the kids and religiously wash my hands at the earliest opportunity after touching door handles and the like.

One of my teachers tried to offer me a mask but it was so big it practically covered the whole of my face. Me thinks not.

So there I was feeling all pleased with myself...and then this morning I woke up.....

I've got a cold coming.

That taught me!

:-(

Panic Over

Done.

I'm off.

I was just panicking yesterday.

This is what someone said:

'Jade, your whole life you have never done things the easy way. Why start now?'

That's good enough for me!!

Ready for the challenge - bring it on!!!

GUTTED

I didn't get my transfer to Tokyo.

And now I am completely torn on what to do.

I thought I was totally set on going anyway.

But then I realised I really like it here and I'm not sure I wanna leave. That's what one side of me is saying.

The other side is saying that that's just a panic reaction. Because if I go to Tokyo, I'm doing this alone. No supervisor. I'd have to find a job and a flat and sort out loads of crap by myself.....and my Japanese still isn't up to that level.

But more than anything, I'm worried I'm not actually gonna be able to afford to live there. I haven't saved anything and initially, I'm gonna have to put a lot of money out there and I'm worried that without a regular income, I won't be able to stay there.

And once I quit this job, there's no turning back.

I know I do want to go - it's time to start advancing into the career I want and I shouldn't be taking the easy route.

But at the same time I do want to stay. I really do.

Torn.

:-(

Hilariousness!

So I was talking to my friend about funny things that Japanese people have said or done or written.

He had some absolute BEAUTIES which I just HAD to share with you!

He was telling me about when he was in a language class and the teacher wrote on the board:

トムは ヘレンに 来させました.

He said they were all doing fine at first, you know just sitting there, catching each other's eye and grinning. But then the teacher started to explain in English.

Tom makes Helen come.

She did not want to but Tom order her.

He forced her to come and she was not happy about it.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!

HOW HILARIOUS IS THAT!!!

And then he told me that he heard that after the war, there were some Japanese people holding up a sign for the American President, that said something like 'We wish you the best with your erection!'

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOOL!!!

You gotta love the l-r cock ups that Japanese people make!!

JOKES!!

Stuffin' Yer Face!!!

I have just eaten 5 packets of crisps one after the other.

PIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Awesomeness

I'm so awesome!!

LOL!!

I have just had a seriously great teaching day today.

My 中学生 just crack me up something chronic!!

So I had my 3nenseis today and coz they've finished the textbook, I've been doing review games with them. Today we played 'Grammar Gambles', which is basically a betting game.

I read out a sentence and everyone has to write it down, and then in groups they have to decide whether it's grammatically right or wrong and then bet money on whether they're right.

It's always a winner. This game has NEVER failed me!!

But what I love most about this game is seeing what the students write down. It really is amazing what they hear.

But the highlight of it all was this.

The sentence I read out was:

"The man standing over there with the dog is his mother."

Obviously there's 2 things you could change here; man - woman, mother-father.

You would be amazed how many students couldn't see what was wrong with this sentence. But the BEST thing I saw was this kid who wrote down:

"The man standing in the bog did his mother."

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!! Oh my god I was in hysterics! I could barely talk for laughing as I was telling the JTE what he had written down. And then it started her off too! I chose not to explain what connotation 'did his mother' has but when I told them that 'bog' is English slang for toilet, that got the whole class laughing. It was just so funny!!!

It doesn't actually sound that funny now that I've written it down...but seriously it was HILARIOUS!! Obviously one of those 'you had to be there' moments!!

And after that class I had a blinding session at my elementary school as well.

So I am feeling very awesome!!

And am now gonna stuff my face with cheese and onion crisps!!

Nightmares

Recently I haven't been able to sleep so well because I'm having really intense dreams that scare me and keep me up all night.

Last night's dream freaked me out and I was up from 3am.

They all involve people really close to me and horrific violence.

They are seriously vicious - they make me not wanna go back to sleep, not matter how heavy my eyelids are!

I don't understand why I'm having them!

Any dream interpreters out there?!

*groan*

Don't you hate it when you think that something seems like a really good idea at the time.....

......so you go and do it.....

.....and then you realise......

.....that it was a REALLY bad idea.

And then you're screwed coz you don't know how to fix it.

Yeh..........

The Devil Wears Prada

I saw this movie for the first time just the other day.

And I LOVED it!!

Meryl Streep at her finest.

And how HOT were some of the bags in the movie?!

So unfair.

めっちゃ寒い！！！

Wow.

It is ridiculously cold today.

I felt so bad going into the classroom with my scarf and massive coat because the kids were sitting there, teeth chattering and knees knocking together, freezing their arses off.

But, despite the number of layers I was wearing, I was still freezing and shuffling from side to side, trying not to swear.

And even the staff room was freezing today. I wasn't looking forward to going home because I knew that my house was gonna be unbearable.

My Japanese class was cancelled so I went into town to have dinner with friends.

But now I'm back at home in my freezing apartment. Doh!

And it sucks because it gives me too much time to get worked up about Friday!

Double doh!!

Weekends...

....seriously go way to fast.

I had to drive into Fukuoka last night because I missed my bus.

And I had a great night!!

Although, I am feeling really tired today. I didn't get in until about 8ish and even then I probably didn't get to sleep until about 10am.

Tired.

And now I really can't be arsed to do my lesson prep for tomorrow. So I don't think I will!!

No, it's not bad - it can easily be changed to something else!! Something that doesn't need any prep at all.

Last night I had a right ol' boogie with my girl. And even though there were some complete jackasses in the club, we still managed to have a good time.

Why do people wear dark sunglasses in a club?!

YOU DO NOT LOOK COOL!!!

It was bad enough seeing that. Then I spotted this guy who was wearing sunglasses and had tippexed 'SUPER MARIO' on the lenses.

Seriously?!

Snow

Winters here kill me.

But then so do the summers.

I just long for that period where the weather is warm without the sweat.

I badly wanna go dancing in Fukuoka tonight. Actually, correction, I AM going dancing in Fukuoka tonight. Despite the fact that it's gonna be snowing. It's so hard to get any motivation to go out when it's this cold.

But I will suck it up and go out because I feel like clubbing.

Yay!

But first, off to my step class!

Ciao

xx

Japanese Footballers

The Saga football team cam to my elementary school this morning to teach the kids how to play.

I LOVED it coz instead of the usual 6 classes I would have on a Friday, today I only have 2.

I was outside with the kids but today is absolutely FREEZING so I gave up after an hour and went back into the kerosene heated staff room!!!

But I could still see everything out the window!!

And there was plenty to look at believe me!!

A bit young, but there were some absolute HOTTIES out there!! It was really cute watching them play with the kids - especially the 6 year olds and they were really good about standing in the cold and signing autographs for all the kids at the end.

What was even cuter...

..was watching one of the 6 nensei girls FAINT when she was standing in front of the seriously, SERIOUSLY hot player before she got his autograph.

Awwwwww!!!

He was REALLY hot though.

But I behaved.

I was at school after all. And everyone was watching me coz I'm the youngest female at the school and they were all asking what I thought of the players and stuff. It was really embarrassing actually. If they weren't there I would've jumped right in!!

LOL!!

Impulse

Just how bad is it to act on impulse?

Or not necessarily on impulse...

....but it's like, if you suddenly decide you want something,

do you just go for it and take it?

Or do you take a step back, think about it a bit and then decide that maybe sometimes it's best NOT to act on impulse?

I act on impulse way too much.

But that's what keeps life exciting!! ね？？？？

Yatta!!!

I have successfully managed to quit my evil 6nensei class.

And I have the full support of the principal.

HOW awesome is that!!

I had a meeting with him this morning, and he told me that I don't have to go to the classes and both the teachers have to apologise to me.

So the woman came out, head down and looking (rightly) embarrassed. She apologised, which I appreciated but at the same time, it was nothing new because I'd heard it before.

As for the guy, he spent the whole day avoiding me. I was walking towards him, he looked up, saw me and turned and walked the other way. If I was in the staff room, he wouldn't come in and when he did he kept his head down the whole time so I wouldn't be able to catch his eye.

Child!!!

You look like....

......

Leona Lewis

Beyonce

Halle Berry

Victoria Beckham

Julia Roberts

Britney Spears

Paris Hilton

Eva Mendes

I have been told I look like all of these people since I've been in Japan.

Paris Hilton?!?!

I think some people need their eyes testing!!

Hungry Machine

Why is it that you always lose a sock in the wash?!

I KNOW I put both of them in and not just one. I took them off and put them straight in the drum. And they weren't loose - they were in a laundry bag!

Where do they go?!

Really annoyed - I LOVE those socks!

Where the hell do they go?!

I don't understand!

Woah

I just got back from the gym.

And from my hardest workout yet.

So I'd always noticed that after my step class, there is a class that's just called 'Free'.

Today I decided to check it out.

It's kinda like a dance class - loads of steps mixed with high energy aerobics.

Damn it was hard!!

But you know what they say.

Practice makes perfect!!

Although I'm still dropping weight even though I'm up to 4 meals a day AND snacking.

How do you work out AND maintain your weight?

Someone?!

Morning Showers

I ALWAYS shower in the morning.

But it has been so cold recently, getting out of the shower in the morning is just painful.

I know so many people who shower in the evening, so I thought I'd give it a try.

It lasted all of 2 days.

Can't do it!!!! I feel so grimy if I don't have my morning shower. Even if I've been to the gym the day before or had a shower at like midnight, I will STILL have a shower in the morning.

Super clean! Hehe.

That's it really!!

Dancing Queen

So I was having a bit of a boogie in my apartment and then I started thinking about my nights out on holiday.

LOL!

All I can remember about this picture, is that that wig really smelt!!! I think it was when Beyonce came on and I just whipped it off the bartender's head!! Blinding night though! This was in Koh Samed...I think it may have been my last night on the island.

This was at a club in Bangkok called 'The Club'. Original!!!! I had just drunk like a whole cocktail bucket to myself and decided to get down to some house!!!!


I wonder who took this picture?!?! LOL! I was the only one on the dancefloor as well. HOW embarrassing!!!

Songs of the whole trip:

Akon - Right Now (Na Na Na)

Kardinal Offishall ft. Akon - Dangerous

These 2 songs were absolutely everywhere. And even though they got rinsed, I STILL love them!!

Right, that's it from me today.

Night.

xx

Akon

LOVING the new album.

Amazing the effects that music can have on you.

;-)

THE Meeting

So this morning I had the meeting with the head of the elementary school I've refused to teach classes in.

He's such a nice guy and he said he understands what I was saying.

And that he was really upset and sorry that it had happened and he's sorry that he didn't realise what was going on.

HOW bad did he make me feel?!

But I knew I couldn't back down. I already have done like 3 times and it got me nowhere. I felt so bad for him but I had to stand my ground. He was offering me all these options but I politely turned them all down. I mean, I basically said I'd past the point where I was actually able to work with the teachers.

He's gonna go back and talk to them but I've got no idea how it's gonna pan out. I'm going to the other grades' classes on Thursday but so far there has been no mention of me going to the 6 nensei's class....

Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

But I'm so relieved the meeting's over and everything is out in the open. I wasn't as scathing as I was in my email but was very firm in what had happened and what was and was not acceptable on their part.

Watch this space!

Girl's Night Out

I had a wicked girl's night out last night.

We started in this really cute wine bar.

Polished off a bottle of Rose (which was absolutely delicious) and then a bottle of Chardonnay.

Then we went to our usual spot and had some cocktails.

Then we decided to hit up the karaoke joint and sang our lil hearts out while drinking beer continuosly for 2 hours.

It was awesome.

I didn't realised how rat arsed I was until after the karaoke and I couldn't walk straight.

The beer finished me off.

There was a lot of scandal.

But that's not my story to tell!!

LOL!

Thanks ladies

xx

Bye Bye Blonde

I'm back to brunette.

I went to the hairdresser yesterday. Admittedly it's not as dark as I thought I was gonna go but it's dark.

I was there from 5pm until like 9.45pm.

There was a disaster.

So I decided I wanted to have a pretty dark brown all over and then highlights a couple of shades lighter.

It took like over two hours just to put all the colour on.

And then after my hair had been washed, I looked in the mirror and my highlights were bright yellow and my roots were RED.

I could not hide my shock.

So I had to have a dark tint put over it which darken the rest of my hair. Now it's like a ashy borwn (looks nicer than it sounds) with honey blonde highlights.

People are saying it still looks light, but the ends of my hair were like soooo blonde before, it looks so dark to me.

But I've decided to go a bit darker, so next time I'm gonna have lowlights. No more bleach this year! Not until I can cut off the crap ends at least. My hair is so damaged.

So back to brunette!

I'll post some pics of it when I can be arsed to take them!

xx

Geek

LOL I feel like such a geek being in on a Friday night.

I got back from a conference and I was just knackered. I've been debating all night whether to go out and then I just realised that I couldn't be arsed to get ready.

So here I am.

Nice and comy and snuggled under my kotatsu.

I could totally sleep under here.

So lazy.

xx

An Update

Just thought you might wanna know what the deal is with my problem school!!!

So my supervisor mailed me today to say that she told the head of the school what I'd said about the teachers and that he'd spoken to them.

And now I have a meeting with him on Monday.

I don't mind the head of this school - he's actually a really nice guy.

I asked my supervisor what he had said about the whole thing.

She said he was really upset.

Doh! I hate it when they pull that puppy look on you. And I like him as well.

But I'm standing my ground on this one!!

Spooked

Now I'm not one to roll straight out of bed and go online.

But that is exactly what I've just done.

Because I HAVE to write about my dream before I forget it.

I've already forgotten everything that happened before this one bit.

I was at my parent's house back in England.

I can't remember what we were preparing for....

I went upstairs into my room. Except there was nothing in it except for a bedside table and a lamp. Yet all the pictures and shelves were still on the walls.

I tried to move the chair and felt resistance. I pulled harder and the chair came off the ground but something was pulling it in the other direction.

Then I looked up and ghosts were floating around the room. As in ghosts shaped like Casper!!! LOL! Except they didn't look friendly!! HAHAHHAHAHA!

I screamed for help and for some reason kept trying to win the battle of tug the chair.

Then suddenly I was on the landing and my sister was at the bottom of the stairs. I was trying to explain to her that I'd seen ghosts.

(At this point the chair reappears in my hand!!!)

To prove it to her I throw the chair down the stairs directly towards her and it starts floating in the air. But she's just looking at it like it's completely normal.

Then one of my parents appear at the bottom of the stairs and the chair goes crashing to the ground. So I run, pick it up and try and throw it down the stairs again. But it just falls down. Whoever was standing there (I don't know if it was my mum or my dad) just shook their head and walked off.

I went back down the stairs and picked the chair up again. I threw it again. And it floated. Except this time there was a man sitting on it. I don't remember anything about him except that he had holes for eyes and was smiling and had no teeth.

Then my alarm went off.

I wonder what it means.....

Uh Oh

Shit may be about to hit the fan.

So basically I've mentioned before about the Thursday morning elementary school ６年生 class that I absolutely hate right?

I went in today to find out that they had absolutely no plan.

Again.

This is the 8th time it's happened. I reminded them that I've told them many times before, if they want me to prepare something, then they should tell me. I don't carry around flashcards with me so I can't just come up with something that we haven't already done a billion times before when I've been screwed over.

So they came up with a pathetic plan which I changed a bit for my sake. Just because it was so damn BORING.

But the kids man. You know I HATE these kids. They are rude, obnoxious, thick as shit and are basically a year of bullies. But they seem to have really switched on the teachers - throwing stuff at them, not listening even when the teachers are like proper shouting at them, laughing in their face. I was like DAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN.

It was a terrible class and I gave up half way through because the teacher just could not control them. I just sat down and let them do whatever they wanted. I decided a long time ago that I have tried so hard with this class that they don't deserve my efforts.

So I've taken it to the BOE. EVERYTHING. They know I've had a couple of problems with teachers and lesson planning before at this school but I never told them everything. But now I have because the way I opened my message in Japanese translated to:

'I will no longer be teaching 6年生 at so and so school'.

And then I just launched into everything that was wrong with the class, the students and the teachers. EVERYTHING. Their attitude, the laziness, the lack of 'team' teaching, emphasizing on the point that my job is an ALT. The A meaning 'Assistant' and I should not have had to put up with most of what I have. I explained that I have difficult classes at other schools too but I always have the full support of the other teacher but this doesn't happen at this school.

I basically ended it by telling my BOE that that grade just doesn't deserve my efforts.

Now there is gonna be a string of meetings.

It's gonna be awkward. But I tried to suck it up for just another 2 months or however long it is until the end of the term. It just came down to the fact that the kids and the teachers don't wanna do the class, then why should I bother?! I think the teachers would be relieved if they didn't have to bother with the class on a weekly basis. And I certainly would.

My BOE have asked me to hang on a bit longer. I told them I have been hanging on since last June when all this crap started happening.

I wonder if they will just let me quit that class.......

Koh Samed

This is an island about 4 hours from Bangkok.


Koh Samed.


HOW GORGEOUS?!

It's more of a destination for Thai tourists and for foreigners who have like a couple of days spare and don't want to stay in Bangkok.

I LOVED IT!

The beaches were so quiet, the weather was absolutely perfect (could've been a bit hotter but there wasn't a cloud in the sky) and you didn't have people constantly buggling you to buy stuff. The nightlife was a hell of a lot quieter than Phuket but I adore beach restaurants and bars like these.



Where you can just relax on the sand and eat and drink. It was beautiful. It was such a nice end to the trip and I felt really sad to leave after just 2 days there.

The shit thing was that on the bus on the way back to Bangkok, there was the genkiest kid EVER sitting in front of me and he just DID NOT SHUT UP!!!

バンコクじゃないここ
バンコクじゃないここ
バンコクじゃないここ
バンコクじゃないここ

It went on like this for 30 minutes before I just snapped

バンコクだよ！！！

Then for the next 15 minutes it was like:

GA GA GO GO GO GO
GA GA GO GO GO GOOOOOO
GA GA GO GO GO GO
GA GA GO GO GO GOOOOOO

LOL. Then I just started entertaining him instead. I realised I was never gonna get any rest with him on the bus.

Needless to say, the useless parents were grateful!!

未来

I've been thinking a lot recently about the future.

Kind of inevitable really - I find out in just over 2 weeks if I've got my transfer to Tokyo.

And if I haven't, I have one week to decide what to do.

やばい

I've already spoken to a couple of people about my 'plans'. But I realise now that I was just throwing ideas around and have come to realise that I'm just not really sure.

I'm getting bored of teaching full time. Nothing's happened - my classes are going great and I adore (some of them anyway!) the kids. But I'm thinking I want to leave on a high before I get to the point of hating my job.

I'm getting really impatient for the answer though. I can't make ANY decisions before I know where I stand with this transfer.

Bored.

Scared.

Emotionally effed up.

Feeling Blue

It's amazing how you can be absolutely fine one minute, and then you suddenly start thinking about something and feel all crappy.

That's what happened to me this morning when I was sitting in the staff room and looking out the window at the snow falling.

A week ago I was lying on white sand and staring up at perfect, clear blue sky.

*sigh*

Nightwalker

So yesterday I went to Fukuoka for the Nightwalker party.

You pay 1000yen and then have access to 20 bars and clubs. The price you had to pay for the lack of cover charge was just 500yen for a drink in each place.

Can you imagine if there was something like this in England?!

It was awesome because you got the chance to check out so many places that you wouldn't normally go to because of the cover. I found a couple of really nice small bars and clubs where the music was so on point...but the crowd SUCKED!

I was actually really shocked. I went to this tiny little club and was immediately happy because they were playing dancehall and ragga. But 2 things will stop me from ever going back there. The place was so SMOKY I could barely breathe. It was unbearable. The second was the crowd. I have never seen such an obnoxious crowd of Japanese men before. It's hardly a gaijin hangout and there were hardly any women there and these men were just so rude and I was constantly getting shoulder barged even though I was standing against a wall and some cheeky git decided it would be prefectly OK to grab a handful of arse.

Knob.

Definitely found a few places though that I will start going to more regularly. I had a blinding time dancing and being out with loads of different people who don't normally go up there so much. And it was a great chance to catch up with people after the Christmas and NY break.

xx

Tasty Thai Dishes!!

Crab in a really spicy green curry sauce. Absolutely delicious! I got to pick the crab myself but I had to turn the plate around so I didn't have to look at the poor thing's eyes!!!



Steamed fish with lime and chilli and in a lemony sauce. The sauce was really good and tasted even better when more chillis were added to it!



Deep fried prawns with chilli sauce. I'm just the biggest prawn fan anyway so this was just seriously yummy for me!

Phuket

So when I decided to go to Thailand, Phuket was one of the first islands that I thought I HAD to go to.

Why? Just because everyone I know who has been to Thailand or talked about Thailand has always mentioned Phuket. So I figured it was one of those places that you go to when you go to Thailand.

NOT IMPRESSED!!

I think the thing that I hated most about it was that it was just so TACKY! I was staying in Patong which is where the mad nightlife is and it was just...I don't even know. I mean, everyone knows that people go to Thailand for the girls but I got so bored of seeing all these young Thai girls holding hands with this fat, ugly, old men while swinging a hotel room key in the other hand.

It was really amusing thought to watch women trying to attract men with their dancing. Some of them were good dancers and really pretty. Some you just looked at and wondered what the hell they were doing there! This is a bar where there were tables right down the middle of the street and then girls just line the sides dancing and trying to get work. It was great though watching the guys watching the girls. There were just some really old men there alone who were having the times of their lives!! Just not my kind of place!!



I was really disappointed because while I was staying in Phuket I was supposed to do a day trip to Koh Phi Phi. Where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed. I was really looking forward to it and I made the reservation and everything. I got up the next day and the minibus never came to pick me up. I rang numbers and no one answered and the front desk of the hostel i was staying in was closed! I was absolutely fuming!! At least they gave me my money back but I was really disappointed at missing out.



This is Patong Beach. It was like a 10 minute walk from my hostel. I went here on the first day I was there and then never went back. I absolutely HATED it! It doesn't look that bad in this picture but it really was. You had no choice but to get a lounger. That space that you see in between the rows of loungers was the only bit of free sand and if you laid a towel there you would get stepped on every five seconds. So I paid for the lounger and then was bugged about every 3 minutes by people selling shit or people offering all these water sports choices. I gave up trying to read my book! The rest of the time I was there I chose to go to Karon Beach which was like a 10 minute taxi ride away. The difference was amazing. It wasn't as crowded and was so wide there was more than enough room to strecth out and sleep on the sand.

The whole time I was in Phuket it was overcast and grey. It was actually really cool as well and started to drizzle. Not good sunbathing weather! The mornings were pretty warm and sunny but I was never out of bed early enough. By the time I made it down to the beached it was nearly 2pm and the sun had disappeared by then and it was just cold!

I really enjoyed the seafood here as well. Really tasty. I happily stuffed my face everyday.

But I don't think I would go back to Phuket again. Actually, I KNOW I wouldn't. It's just not my kind of place. I didn't have a BAD time there but I just got annoyed with the number of tourists and I prefer quiet beaches where you can relax. That's what I was looking for.

Next time, I think I'll go to Krabi. I heard GREAT things about that island.

Going through that phase again....

....where I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing here.

I started teaching again yesterday and I just felt.......tired.

Bored of it all.

I don't think that it helps that I'm still dealing with a lot of emotional stress.

But I'm starting to feel like I need a change. Not necessarily another country, but definitely another job.

And so many things are really starting to annoy me as well. Like REALLY annoy me.

I hate the way Japanese girls don't walk properly in heels.

I hate the way Japanese girls where shoes that are waaayyy too big or too small for them - what's the point?!

I hate the way Japanese girls wear sooo much make up. After travelling to other Asian countries and seeing natural beauty, I don't understand their need to put their foundation on so thickly that it cracks when they smile.

I hate the way Japanese women think it's bad to have a tan. Throughout the year when I've got a tan, I've been constantly told how 'dark' I am. I've made a habit on commenting how white people are when they say this to me. And then stressing that in the west it's actually a GOOD thing to be brown. Rather look healthy than dead. Plus they don't realise that some people could actually be really offended by that. I think they're forgetting that I am half black already. Jackasses.

Venting.

I know.

Bangkok

These are the two images that best sum up my time in Bangkok.

Food and shopping.

Bangkok was the base for the whole of my trip. I started there and always ended up going back for one night in between going to different places.

I ended up getting really sick of Bangkok...but loved it at the same time. The bustling Khao San Road brought me so much shopping joy. And women like the one in the first picture. Constantly pestering you to buy those hats and those frog things. This was taken on my last day there and I did actually end up buying one of those annoying frog things. I thought that by telling her I would only pay 50 bhats instead of the 350 that she was asking for, she would just leave me alone. But she said OK! And now I have one of them and don't know what to do with it! But I can't bring myself to give it away as omiyage!

I never ate at restaurants in Bangkok. It was always from street stalls like the one in the second picture. I love Thai food and always ate it authentically spicy, bringing tears to my eyes. And then one guy introduced me to the fabulous mint leaf. Quickly cools down the fire in your mouth allowing you to comfortably finish the rest of your meal! GENIUS! I love him for that!

I went on this trip travelling light. I came back with 2 more bags full of omiyage and clothes. Especially dresses, bikinis and bags. Everything was so cheap I just HAD to buy it! The downside to that is that it's so damn cold now in Japan, I won't actually get to wear any of it until the summer. BOOOOOO!!!!!

I mainly stayed around the Ratanakosin area of Bangkok, which is where most of the sights are. I was so hungover on my sightseeing day though, I feel like I skimmed over things a little bit and I wasn't allowed into a couple of places because I was wearing a sundress and wouldn't pay the ridiculous amount of money for an ugly shawl they were saying I could buy to cover my shoulders.


Thailand's third gender: the ladyboy!!!

I had a quick drink with these 'ladies' here! The one at the back in the blue sitting next to me had the worst make up I've ever seen! The other one in the blue sitting opposite was just oozing sex, the one at the front in the green had really scary feathery false eyelashes and the one in the orange...well, not much to say about 'her' really! I just wanted to redo the blue one's make up. Seriously - the lipstick was smudged all around his mouth and I don't know what he applied his eyeshadow with! They were a good giggle though and were lavishing in all the attention that tourists were giving them!

Ohhhh, and I got really excited because I went to Boots! And it was so cheap!

So that was Bangkok - just a stopover place at various points in my trip.

More tomorrow!

Night.

xx

あけましておめでとうございます！

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I got back to Japan last night.

It's so damn cold here! I didn't even have a jacket so the trip back to my house was very painful.

Once again, the post holiday blues have struck.

HARD.

I don't want to be back here. I just want to travel.

Cambodia was absolutely incredible. Easily the highlight of my trip. So many things had to be changed because of flights being full and stuff. So I didn't make it to Laos, which was really disappointing! Byt he time I was able to get a flight, it meant that I would only have 2 days there, so I decided it wasn't worth it and went back to Thailand instead.

So much to tell and so many photos!!!

I'll do it bit by bit! Right now I have to do some washing and lesson prep for this afternoon's classes.

HOW badly can't I be arsed!!!!