Awww...You Guys!!

Awwwwww....

I really want to thank my friends for showing me so much support throughout this crazy business with me company going bankrupt.

I'm really touched by people calling me up - not just to check on how I am, but also offering financial support. It's really sweet and I don't want anyone to think that I don't appreciate it - because I honestly really, really do.

But you KNOW me. I take so much pride on standing on my own two feet and looking after myself and to be honest, I am just too proud to accept money - especially from my friends. Naturally, if it was borrow or die, I would but I want a chance to try and figure all of this out on my own. It means making some sacrifices, but so be it. After all, a night out on the town might be fun but it's not essential and it's one of those things that I'm just going to have to go without for a while.

Not to mention the planned shopping spree in Singapore and splashing out on cocktails in nice bars and plush dinners. But that doesn't mean I still can't have a good time you know. I just have to be a little more careful with how I decide to spend what little money I'll be taking with me.

I love everyone for caring though. It's so nice to know that people will come to your aid when you're going through something like this.

On a completely different note *SPOILER ALERT*.......

YAY!!! SETH AARON WON PR!! I am so chuffed! I absolutely LOVED his runway show - it completely blew me away. I thought Jay could've put on a much better show than Mila - her stuff is so unoriginal for me. Not a massive fan of what Emilio put out there - especially the colour palette, btu that last dress was STUNNING. But damn, Seth Aaron!!! That chic direction he was going in was absolutely DIVINE! There were like a couple of dresses and coats that I would die for! I am just so chuffed he won because he had been a favourite of mine from really early on - I think he became my absolute favourite after that challenge where they had to design a kids outfit and then an accompanying adult look and he did that stunning black and white jacket. I wanted that!

Yay!

xx

No Way!

Mila over Jay?! Are you serious?!

The three pieces that Jay showed were way more innovative and modern than that god awful retro shapeless look Mila keeps bringing out week after week. I am so disappointed for him and I just can't stand her!

I hope Emilio has done something with his collection because what he showed when Tim came to visit was just foul. I love everything that Seth Aaron has done. Fair enough, it might not be a surprise but it's absolutely stunning. And he put in way more work than the others. I just think he is the king of jackets!

Fuck Mila man. Hate that bitch.

xx

What's The Truth?!

I'm trying not to get in a flap about being put out of a job.

But damn, there are so mnay rumours flying around, it's hard not to think about it. What's pissed me off is that we all got told about this AFTER everything had gone into effect - so we really have had no time to think about anything. Too busy being shocked.

My number one concern is my April salary. I was under the impression that we would still be paid but it was going to be late, but other people are saying that we are not going ot get paid at all. And I wanna know what's happening because there are some company holidays at the end of the month so I'm guessing they count as unpaid leave as well. I hate not knowing what's going on.

I'm going to go in tomorrow but I'm not teaching a single lesson until I know what's going on with that. There's no way in hell that I'm gonna teach if I find out that we're not getting paid for this month. It's just gonna be tense and awkward because the parents are gonna be showing up with their kids and there's gonna be some backlash for sure. My manager quit on the spot yesterday, so I don't even know who's gonna be opening up and I swear down, I will hang around all day to get answers. I 'll still teach if we get paid but everyone has so many questions and I don't wanna sign a contract without knowing you know?

It's also gonna be so tough to actually teach when there is all this worry and confusion going on. I bet so many of the students will want to quit but it got announced that there will be no refund of pre-paid tuition fees. OUCH for them! It's just going to be an absolutely nightmare and I'm a little nervous about going in to be honest!

I turned off my alarm but still ended up getting out of bed at like 8.30. I've spent most of the day feeling hungover and really sluggish. Applied to a couple of jobs and have spent the rest of the day watching online TV! I'm getting messages left, right and centre from people who were in company accommodation and they have a week to get out of their place. I'm not worried about finding other work - it's just the timing is effing terrible for all this to happen right now.

I called the airline as well to see if I could cancel my ticket to the States and it's non-refundable. I don't think I would've cancelled it anyway to be honest. I mean, I have money - i just have to go through a load of crap to try and access it because it's all in English accounts.

So much to try and sort out. Plus my company insurance has been voided so I'm thinking I really should get some for when I go on my trip next week...something else that I can't really afford to pay for right now but better safe than sorry!

xx

*SHOCK*

I literally don't have words for the way I feel right now.

Shocked? Relieved? In a state of panic? Calm? Confused?

I was getting ready to go to work this morning after a really great session at the gym when I got a call from my manager telling me that the company has gone bankrupt and I had to go to this meeting.

WTF?!

The first feeling was relief. I mean, you all know that I've been looking for a way out and this is the perfect opportunity. But I was always gonna wait until after my holiday to the States and then quit mid July. To find out that the company was taken over YESTERDAY was such a shock because it means that the terms and conditions of my current contract no longer apply. No bonuses, no holiday pay, no NOTHING. Which means that the 2 weeks I'm taking off next week to Singapore and Malaysia are going to be unpaid. I can't afford to do that! Some holiday this is going to be. =(

And the worst part of it all is that we all went down to this meeting to be told....NOTHING. All we got was a bit of paper which we had to state whether we wanted to continue employment with the takeover company or not. If we do, we have to go into school on Friday and download and sign the new contract before we start. I guess the good thing about it is that if we do read it and decide it's bullsit (which it is), then we don't have to teach that day. I will feel bad because I really like my Friday students but we have been so badly screwed over, we don't owe the company anything. I wouldn't bother going in at all but I wanna pick up all the stuff that I have there. I'm not leaving it for the next person!

What a shocker. The most annoying thing for me is that the holiday agreements don't carry over. 2 weeks unpaid is a lot of money lost. Theoretically, I could start with a new company tomorrow but no one is gonna take me on knowing that I'm gonna be disappearing next Wednesday on holiday. I am so screwed. I just bought a new camera and paid for my flight to the States. I can't even get that money back either.

I did something really bad today as well. On finding out the news, a whole group of us went to drown our sorrows in this izakaya that serves 50yen beer! 50yen!! But we ordered loads of food as well. I noticed throughout the night that people had started to disapppear and there was no way that I was going to get lumbered with their share of the bill. So I went to the toilet and then just thought, fuck it and walked out the door without paying a damn thing. Hell, I'm not gonna see these people again!! I know it's bad but I'm so pissed with everything that I just didn't give a shit about lumbering someone else with the whole bill.

I have tomorrow off. I guess I should start on the job search. i just don't know how I'm sposed to enjoy my holiday when I'm literally going to have to watch every penny that I spend. And it's shit because my manager quit on the spot so fuck knows what's gonna happen on Friday.

What a mess. =(

Back To The Inaka!

I can't even begin to tell how great this weekend was.

Not only was it a much needed break from the city, I hadn't realised just how much I'd missed my friends until I saw them again!

This Sunday was a prime example of how a Sunday should be spent. Link your friends, go pick up a K-Burger, hit the beach, a drive up to Kagamiyama, hit the supermarket, get back to the house, whip up loads of fruit shakes and a fabulous home cooked feast, shove on a comedy and fire up the sheesah and REEEELLLLLAAAAXXXX. I spent the evening laughing so HARD it became painful. I can't even remember the last time I laughed that hard. Or felt that relaxed even. Actually, yes I do...before I started this new job. I was having a blast when I arrived in Tokyo and was enjoying those 3 months of unemployment. It made me realise that this job is sucking the life out of me! Obviously being in Tokyo is different but you know...

It was so effing fabulous just to chill out with my boys. I felt bad keeping them up on a school night but I really wanted to make the most of my time there with them. It felt great. And I got to drive which felt amazing as well. It was seriously nostalgic driving through Karatsu again - it has been 8 months which doesn't sound like a long time on paper but it felt like a lifetime ago. Especially when I think about the city life that I have now - which is totally different.

There were even times when I was driving, that I was thinking how stupid I was to leave JET. But then I soon shook that feeling off. It's not even being in the inaka that made me leave - it was the job. And even though I still would've had good friends there, I'm still kinda glad that I left when I did because so many of us left at the same time and to be honest it's such a different vibe there now. It was weird walking into this party and I just didn't know so many people....or want to know them for that matter LOL! My friends definitely weren't exaggerating when they were telling me how lame the new people were. LOLOLOLOLOL!!

But despite all of that, what a good time to have gotten away. I got back so late last night though and was just exhausted at work today. At the school that I hate to top it all off. I've decided that I'm gonna hardcore get on the jobsearch again when I get back from GW. It's just so hard to get out of the teaching thing here....I'll seriously give it a bash though because I realised this weekend that I am so fed up of being so stressed and tired and commuting so far for something that I dislike so much.

Thanks to my boys for just being THEM. Miss you and love you both.

xxxxxx

Why...

...can't I ever get to bed at a decent time?!

I'm always moaning how tired I am, yet I can never seem to get my arse into bed early. And tonight was no exception.

I didn't go to the gym because I figured I should stay home and get my stuff ready for my trip back to Karatsu so that I don't ahve to wake up early and do it in the morning. But I haven't even done that! I gave myself a French manicure and that's about it. LOL. And I know I should've gone to the gym because I scoffed 8 doughnuts today - DON'T JUDGE!! It's not my fault - it was 8 for 300yen! Like, that is ridiculously cheap. But add that to the 6 doughnuts that I ate on Tuesday, the mammoth roll cake I scoffed last night and all the melon pans I've been eating all week and that's a lot of crap that needs to be worked off.

Why the hell can't I give up the cake!? It's just never gonna happen. Maybe I should just accept that I will never have a flat stomach ever again. The body I had before I fractured my ankle this time last year has officially disappeared forever. R.I.P.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends this weekend. I just hope the weather down there is better than this crappy rain/snow that's going down in Tokyo. I mean seriously, it's supposed to be spring and it's 4 degrees outside. What a joke.

xx

WTF?!

It's effing FREEZING!

I will never complain about British weather again because Japanese weather is just as messed up.

Spring my arse - this is like winter! I can't be doing with this one day of gorgeous weather and then the next day it's raining. It's so annoying!!

xx

2 or 3?

General Elections in the UK are so effing frustrating.

The race has always been between Labour and the Tories, and I have always voted Labour - not necessarily because I support what they say they will do, but because it's a vote AGAINT the Tories. I always want to vote for the Lib Dems but I never do because I have always been scared that that vote could mean that the Tories get in.

But after seeing all the manifestos and given the state that the country is in under a Labour government, I just can't justify voting for them anymore. If ever there was a time that the Lib Dems had a real chance of making it into office, this is definitely it. They are definitely in the race this year, but naturally everyone still believes that it is just between the other two.

I really want to vote Lib Dem this year - I think it's time they were given the chance and they have put out a really sound manifesto that would make a real difference. But I'm scared. What if that vote allows the Tories to get in? A Tory government would be unthinkable - not only are they racist xenophobes, but their interest lies with making the rich richer, and keeping the poor poor. They can't say anything which would be able to convince me that they have real intentions of improving the lives of lower income househoulds, students or protecting the rights of immigrants. They try and win the country over by splashing their cash around but it just reeks of insincerity.

Labour's manifesto is solid but again full of empty promises that they have been making for years. I just feel like if they haven't managed to achieve some of this goals over the last decade, then what makes them think that they can do it now? I think it's better to let someone else have a shot.

I know I don't live in the UK anymore, but it doesn't mean that I want to return to a destroyed country. Which is exactly what would happen under a Tory government. I beg you Brits with all my heart to USE YOUR VOTE and let's give the Lib Dems a chance to make the change that the other parties haven't been able to. Even if you don't vote Lib Dem, then at least vote AGAINST the Tories.

There ARE 3 parties in the race this year - if everyone runs scared and votes Labour to keep the Tories out, then remember if could be those votes that stop the Lib Dems from getting IN.

Nick Clegg for PM!

xx

Urgh...

I can't even begin to explain to you how done I am with teaching. I think today just pushed me over the edge and made me realise that I've hit THAT point.

I've run out of patience with everything - dumb kids, quiet kids, naughty kids, loud kids, shy kids...the dumb and shy kids kill me the most. I literally don't have the patience to deal with them any more - and the worst bit? I don't care.

You put so much time and effort into kids and at the end of the day they just don't give a shit. They're just a bunch of ungrateful little *******. Right from the age of 3 up until their teens. I'll let the babies off the hook because, well, after all they ARE just babies. But when I spend so much time on lesson prep and trying to come up with new and original ideas, I am so sick of the lack of response - especially from the older classes who just wanna talk bullshit all the time. I am so done with it.

Of course, not everyone I teach is awful and I do have some great moments but I really think enough is enough. I just now need to figure out what the next step is. I can't leave Japan yet because I came here for the language. I didn't come here to be a teacher and if I was to leave the country now, then the last 3 years would have meant absolutely nothing.

I just wanna get paid to travel. I mean, everyone does, right? I remember wanting to be Jill Dando so badly...and then she got shot and I got scared. But I see so many documentaries where people are just going to different countries to check out the food, or the sites and I would love to do something like that. Thing is though, most people who have those jobs are already in TV or journalism already. I was talking about this to one of my friends in Australia this evening, and he was telling me that I should totally just save up a load of money and then seriously travel and document it, and then take it to the TV stations. Naturally I would need other people in on this with me - especially to help with the production side of things...LOL - it would be so gutting if they turned it down though! Although I guess the experience in itself would've made the whole thing worthwhile.

Definitely something to think about.

That doesn't mean to say that I have ditched the FCO idea. I'm just looking for something a little more fulfilling RIGHT NOW. I guess I'm just not ready to settle into any ONE job - I'm still moving around a lot and I still have a lot of travelling to do before I get serious about anything. It's a big wide world out there and I want to see it.

Of course, being paid to see it would just be amazing. I'm definitely going to look into it a bit more when I come back from my Golden Week holiday. I don't really have the time to give it the research that it needs right now.

All I know for sure if that I've really had it with teaching. And it's always that school that I hate that makes me feel this way.

xx

Of Course..

...it has to absolutely piss down on my day off...especially when I decided to go shopping.

And now that I have to go to work and spend the whole day inside, it is gorgeous and sunny. Typical.

I hate shopping in the rain but it just had to be done. And I came back with so many gorgeous things and an extremely light wallet. Although I didn't want to spend too much, seeing as I'm going to be hitting up Singapore in a couple of weeks. That has come around so fast.

I finally booked my flight to the States last night as well, so I'm on a seriously tight budget for the rest of the month. LOL - I say that but I know I'm gonna drop serious cash this weekend in Karatsu. Doh! Really looking forward to catching up with friends though...and it's gonna be even better now that I know that someone I really hate isn't going to be there! Yay!

LOL.

xx

Complete Bullshit!

The last season of Lost started off so strong...I was loving it!

But what the hell happened? I can't stand the direction that it's going in and the latest episode was a complete bore. This whole storyline with Charles Whitmore and these annoying people that came back to the island with him is boring me senseless. I'm hating it!

They better sort this out quick!

xx

Mr. Hotness

Seriously...HOW hot is Seth Aaron from PR?!

I've always loved everything he has put on the runway - I mean, it's not my style but he has such a strong point of view and everything that he makes is absolutely impeccable. I would love to be able to pull off some of those looks.

But over the last few weeks, something else has been catching my eye! I think he is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Not quite sure how I didn't notice it in the first place but he is getting hotter week by week - his own personal style is seriously hot...if I were to see him walking down the street, I would defintiely stop and gawk. He looks great, his hair is great, he has an adorable smile and he is just HOT!

Where are all the men like that hiding?!

I am so chuffed he's made it to Bryant Park..although I guess it was never a question of whether he was going to make it or not. Emilio has really stepped it up in the last couple of weeks and I've always loved Jay's style. Of all of them, it's the style closest to my own and I would wear everything that he has put on that runway. I just wish they would kick that bitch Mila off the show - I haven't liked her since day one! Go home already!

I am so excited for the finale. I can't wait to see Seth Aaron's and Jay's collections - they are going to be stunning.

Yay to fashion!

xx

Sleepy Sleepy

What an exhausting week.

All of us were knackered at work today. And this week has been all Easter lessons which has just been so draining, it's not even funny. I mean, Easter is one of those holidays that, to be honest, I just forget about. And it's even easier to do that here because the stores aren't filled with chocolate eggs to remind you. All it represents for me is chocolate eggs and a great Sunday dinner...and that still doesn't mean anything unless I'm back in England. I'm not religious so it's like, having to have Easter as an event lesson as school is just a complete pain in the arse. Beyond belief.

Still 2 more days of Easter lessons to go next week as well. *sigh*. I just totally don't wanna do them. It's that little bit more energy that you're expected to put into what is already such a demanding schedule. Extra energy which I just don't have. I feel like I have a million other things on my mind...my holidays, money worries, stuff which is going down back at home right now, the state of my room, and just the feeling of being constantly exhausted and never getting enough rest coz I always have so much to do on my days off. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm watching American Idol Season 9 on TV. I've never watched American Idol before and to be honest, if I hadn't of started watching right from the beginning of the auditions, I probably wouldn't bother. I absolutely can't STAND a lot fo the contestants, but the ones I hate on the most are Didi and Lacey. Their voices absolutely KILL me!! I literally can't STAND them and I can't believe that they have made it so far - I remember watching the Hollywood Week thing and I can't believe they made it through over some of the other people that were there. Unbelievable. I normally hate Siobhan as well, but she was amazing in this Rolling Stones week - I loved her performance. But overall, the best voice by a mile is definiteyl Lee's. Bless him - he always looks absolutely petrified! I used to really love Crystal as well, but then she's gotten way too cocky for my liking and I'm so glad that the judges pulled her up on that this week.

Still prefer X Factor though! ;-)

I watched the latest episode of Gossip Girl as well tonight. Surely they're not gonna let Chuck and Blair split up?! I absolutely love them together! And that Matthew Williamson dress that Blair was rocking was abolutely STUNNING. Beyond words. I would love to have that dress...not that I have anywhere to wear it!

xx

Quickly? Slowly? 分からん。

What the hell?! It's Friday tomorrow?!

This week has absolutely flown by! I think....Tuesday-Wednesday always feel like they drag on forever and then suddenly it's the weekend. Yet the months pass by so slowly. I don't get what's going on.

I'm off on my fabulous Malaysia and Singapore trip in just 3 weeks, yet it feels like a lifetime away! I'm so tired with work and everything else that's going on right now, I don't even have the energy to get excited about it! I'm sure that will change pretty soon though...especially when I think about shopping in Singapore!

I didn't realise how exhausted I was until the last couple of days. Like, I knew I was tired but now I realise that I'm past the tiredness thing...this is exhaustion. Yesterday I went to work and left my wallet at home...I'm just so glad I decided to check how much money was in my purse and realised I didn't have BEFORE I actually went to get lunch. HOW embarrassing would that have been?! The other day I left my keitai at home - we've all done that before, so you guys KNOW how annoying that is. And then today I forgot make up bag - not a big deal normally but I need to keep touching up so you can't see the ever growing black circles under my eyes. It was only when I realised that I'd forgotten it, that I realised how good my concealer actually is! It lasted all day without even remotely fading. I think it's paranoia that makes me think I need to touch it up. Definitely worth paying the extra for Estee Lauder. But you all know that I spend hundreds of pounds on make up...I love that stuff.

But time is being so weird. I feel like the weekends come around so quickly but last month was so effing slow. It literally felt like it had been March for 2 months or something. Anyone know how the hell that works? So confusing.

And on that note, I'm going to go to bed! I'm trying to make it in bed before 12.30am this week and have failed every single day...but not today!

xx

Hardcore

I was not ready for my aqua session this morning!

I was absolutely knackered but I dragged my tired arse to the gym, got down to the pool ready to go through the motions...and then realised that there was a different instructor in today.

And man, she made us work! My legs were aching so much by the end of the 30 minutes and they've been aching all day! Damn stairs at all these stations!!!

I mean, I love it because to be honest I nearly didn't go this morning - just because I'm getting bored of the same routine every week (not that I've been for a couple of weeks but never mind! ;-)) but I just wasn't in the mindset for such a hardcore workout at 10.10am!!! It totally threw me and left me tired for the whole day. Although I think going to bed so late last night might have contributed to that.

Work was really hard again today. It just feels like one thing after another - when something finally goes right, something else goes wrong. I'm so glad that I get to get away next weekend and then a proper holiday at the end of the month. It is definitely needed after being stuck in Japan for Christmas. I feel like I have so much to do but I always feel too tired to actually do anything!

I'm so glad I decided against taking on a second job - I would literally have NO time to relax if I did. I know this guy who gets up at 5.30am, goes to work in one company for like 4-5 hours and then goes to his regular job for 8 hours and then teaches private students in the evening! That extra money might be nice but talk about burning yourself out! I've seen the state he's in and that nearly could've been me if I'd taken on the other job. I have little free time as it is and I have decided that I definitely want to hang onto it!

xx

Zzzzz

What an exhausting day.

But I have to say, some of the classes at the school I hate are so much better this year. I have more students but I seem to have lost the ones that were the biggest pain in the arses and had all the attitude. But it's never perfect - I have a nightmare 3-4 year old class which was just chaos. There is no other word for it. And I know that it's going to be the problem one every single week.

When kids move up from the baby classes, it's always the hardest to deal with because they have to come in alone and it just leads to a load of screaming and annoying whining. But I have one girl who never talks and just literally won't leave her mum. She sat in this time, but I'm not having it this week because the classroom is just too small and what everyone seems to be blind to is that when the mum is there, the kid will ALWAYS run to them. Every single time. But when the mum isn't there, they are forced to do things on their own - even if they scream and shout when they are doing it. I always seem to get stuck with the worst ones.

*sigh*

3-4 year olds are definitely the hardest to teach. Actually I'm gonna expand that and go with 3-6 year olds. They're enough to speed up the aging process in anyone.

I'm absolutely exhausted. What a day.

xx

OMFG!!!

OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG!!!

I just watched 24!!!

If it wasn't genius enough already, I am left SPEECHLESS by the latest twist!!

DANA WALSH?!?!!? I can't believe it!

I actually am just sitting here typing with my mouth wide open and shaking my head in disbelief! Season 8 is definitely up there with my favourite seasons of 24. Jesus. It has been absolutely blinding from episode one and every time there is a new episode, it just confirms for me that this really is the best thing on TV EVER.

Genius.

I want to watch the newest episode but I only have 20 minutes before I wanna watch something on TV! Doh!

xx

Done and Dusted

Jesus.

After a hardcore two week battle with my head office to try and get my holidays approved for the summer, I have finally come out on top.

Man, the person I had to deal with is one stubborn bitch. And I thought I was bad!

I had so many people fighting my corner for me. I didn't ask them too, and they don't know that I know they did it. It was crazy - I had people telling HO that I need the break to keep my motivation up (you know I told you I would stay at the school I hate if they approved it) and all this other stuff. Turns out that they were worried that after the holiday, I would go back on my word and quit anyway. My manager (of the school I hate) had so much faith in me, I actually feel guilty that it was my plan to get back from holiday and then hand in my notice. Apparently she told HO that I would never do that (guilt trip 1) and then told them that if I did come back and quit, then she would quit as well. And she said she could make a statement that bold because it would never happen (guilt trip 2).

On the one hand, I'm kinda flattered that I'm valued that much that she chose to fight my corner so strongly. But on the other, I can't help but wonder if it made things worse, in that it became this whole dramatic fiasco over someone who has only been at the company for four months. Know what I mean?

But you know what, in spite of all this, the answer was still no. I was given the option of cutting my holiday down to just 10 days, which was never going to happen, seeing as the original request was 14. I'm not gonna fly all the way to the States for such a short time - I mean seriously, what a waste of money. Plus the fact that I've already made plans now. So I did the only thing I knew would make her back down.

I told her I had already booked my flights. I've been waiting for approval for 2 weeks now and I told her that when she didn't give me the final decision on the day that she said she would, I went ahead and booked anyway. She had no choice but to back down - I also offered her an alternative which would mean that no one would have to sub for me either, so everyone's happy, right?

Even though she backed down, she sent me this scathing email back. Only I took it with a pinch of salt. I'm a stubborn girl as well and the whole email stinks of the bitterness of losing. The thing is, she is pretty new to the position and I think she was trying to stamp her foot down and assert her authority - which I understand - but she was overstepping the 'acceptable stubborness' mark, because I offered her a perfectly reasonable solution, which wouldn't have put anyone out and that both my managers agreed to. She just wanted to say no. If there was no solution but to have someone sub for me, then I would understand but I offered to teach on a day where there was sposed to be no classes instead. Hardly a big deal, right? Everyone would be at school anyway - we would just be doing prep instead of teaching.

I have to hand it to her - she was tough to break. She even told me that she wasn't going to tell me to cancel the tickets this time! There's only one way THAT would've ended - and that's with me walking out the door. And she knows that. But she is SERIOUSLY pissed because I completely backed her into a corner. I think she may have thought that the backlash of me walking out in just 2 weeks if she said no was just not worth the hassle.

So yah, I got the holiday! And whilst I am well chuffed, I'm also like ARGH!!! Coz now I have to stay at the school I hate until at least the end of my contract and I'm probably Public Enemy No. 1 at head office. It's never good to be on their bad side - no matter how good a teacher you are - and it doesn't feel great. But at least I can finally get on and book my flights.

Will let you know the final FINAL dates when it's all booked and confirmed!

xx