One year on

This time last year, I did something which has shaped, changed and given me great pleasure. No not another trip to Bali, drunken night out with the boys or anything quite as ruinous, nope I started up this 'ere blog.

'What's in my world 22 September' was my first post, this one won't be my last. It has brought me lots of happiness and a place to share my thoughts and feelings and observations of life here in Asia from a different perspective. There has been a huge change for me over the year both professionally and personally not to mention the introduction of Air conditioning in my apartment and a new motorbike.
The year itself has been overall fun. For me personally one filled with challenge, despair, friends, loathing, marinas, stress and victory and that has made my life in Jakarta all the more worthwhile and determined to carry on here as in here, living, and here as in writing.

This is not the day to list my successes over the year nor my adventures as I am sure to save them for a cold rainy night watching Eastenders, with my mums best Sausage egg and chips whilst arguing with my father over why the British newspaper The Daily Mail is so zenophobic and creates a world of mistrust against those that are different living in England.
Did I say England? Mum? Dad? Eastenders (glorious British Sinetron where no one has a washing machine and uses the laundrette, no one has Rihanna's lastest song as their ring tone but just the standard phones one and no one swears), cold rainy nights? Yes I am sure I did.

I am going home for Christmas.

2 weeks of self induced refill of all things English before getting back out to the warm and the chaos again of Jakarta.  I am in a word - happy. Happy to be seeing my parents and family for the first time in 3 years, my close friends (some of them can actually read and do read this blog apparently) and to just catch up and relax over Christmas. I will of course blog through out or when I can, take too many photos and do everything as normal when I have nothing else to do which hopefully wont be often.

Going to buy the ticket next weekend and so I am sure there will be some kind of drama over that but that's all part of the fun.

Managed to get food poisoning last week and so that meant a day off work and drinking far too much Procari Sweat and swallowing handfuls of Charcoal tablets. Did the trick though. A few pringles later followed by a badly presented and slightly warm Macdonalds and I am fighting fit to carry on. These bugs are a pain and it also means no more Ayam Kung Pao for me instead I need to find something else.
So I have done very little away from work as not only have I been sick but I have been working hard with presentations and preparing materials to use and present for my teachers. Needless to say I am now an expert in Powerpoint slides and excel tables!!!!

And here we are.That is what is happening in my world, Wednesday 22rd September 2010.

Alice came to a fork in the road.  "Which road do I take?" she asked.
"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland


Happy days everyone!!!