On the brink of insanity. Please stop the music! Thailand.

The last few days at school have been insane, that is putting it nicely. Yesterday, being Thursday I taught 1 class out of 4. The other 3 classes were cancelled for official dance practice on the stage. I am totally sick of it all and will be very happy after tonight, when it is finally over.

These are primary 1 girls dancing.

Rehearing on the stage.


Our Brother or Director watched every show that is going to be performed on the stage. He offered advice on what could be improved and I applaud him for sitting through all of this. I would have been reaching for the nearest gun to put myself out of my misery.

Today being Friday, we are only studying half a day and there are so many students absent. One class had over 20 students absent. I don’t blame parents either as I would keep my son or daughter at home. They are studying from 8-12. Then students will come back at 5.30pm and the night will go through to 10-11pm.

A ticket for the night is 400 Baht, 8 seats at a table 3,200 Baht a table. Some parents have bought 1 or 2 tables and are bringing their whole families. I think there are over 200 tables, so you do the maths. Not a bad fundraiser for the school.

Of course there are expenses like the stage, tables, chairs, sound system and also food. I am sure though at the end there is a very nice profit left over to be spent on upgrading the school or building statues and such.

The workers showed up about 10am to set-up for the big night. They arrived on a large truck carrying all that is needed for the night.

The pick-up carried huge steamers and food.



The cooking started pretty quickly, the steamers were steaming and the oil was in the huge deep fryers.

And nibbles for night being put together.

I will of course take plenty of pictures tonight as the outfits are always something to see. Some tiny kids are put through hours or hair and make-up, many times I will not recognize my own students as they look so different.

Apart from that I have been exercising and keeping on my new weight loss programme. I am eating well but smarter and actually enjoying it. I do miss my ice-cream though and every time I walk past the little ice-cream stall at school I have to really make myself keep on going.

So all is well here in sleepy Isaan, I do have a story that I am sure many readers will find very interesting. I hope to get it completed over the next few days. It involves Thai family, a death, money, arguments, threatened to be disowned and on it goes. Sounds like a murder mystery, doesn’t it?

Brunty

Dancing, dancing and dancing, Thailand.

This coming Friday we have a huge night at the school. Assumption Family Night is talking place. All classes have to put on a show, a dancing show for their parents to see.

The last two weeks. Yes, two weeks there have been students practicing their routines. The last few days it has become insane. There is music blaring out all over the school where different classes have gathered to run through their dances.

The older students are spending time dancing but also using it to just skip class. I don’t let any of my classes dance. They study as there are plenty of lazy teachers who are more than happy to not teach and let students dance.

The stage is huge. This was two days ago.

These students just looked so enthusiastic.

Today was meant to be rehearsals on the stage but it isn’t finished. Classes were cancelled through out the day so students could go through their routines, again!

Primary 1 students dancing.

The stage workers finishing the stage.

A primary 3 girl.

A primary 3 boy. That’s a dance move.

These are my primary 1 students. A bunch of terrors.

And some older secondary girls doing their thing.

I am totally over the music blaring most of the day. Thank god it is only two days away and then it will be all over for another year.

Brunty

My Park, My exercise programme, all good. Thailand.

As most of you know. A few weeks back I hurt my back picking up a t-shirt. I ended up at the hospital as I could hardly stand up. I was prescribed pain killers and anti inflammatory for it. When I was given the initial blood pressure check and was also weighed the scales hit 105.3kg.

What a fat bastard I had become. So a week later when I could finally stand up straight again I decided that I was going to lose the weight I had put on. Thankfully a reader sent me a programme. I have been following the couch to 5k programme since last Wednesday. The first week you are meant to do this programme only three times but I felt good so did it every day plus my extra walking.

Week1 - Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. 5 minute warm down.

I have downloaded all the MP4 podcasts by a guy called Robert Ullrey, this guy has put the programme to music and tells you when to walk or run. The music is okay, not what I would usually listen to but it’s good for running. He has made it much more entertaining than having to watch your watch all the time.

Tomorrow I will start week two of the programme. This is it below.

Week 2 - Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

I didn’t weigh myself before I started the programme but would have been around 106kg by then. I weighed myself today and was 103kg on the dot. I am happy with that as I am just going easy and not crash dieting.

I stopped drinking sodas completely, that is the biggest change I have made. I have 1 small bottle of soda water a night 325ml and squeeze fresh orange or lime juice into it. Also ice-cream is off the list and potato chips and such. I still eat three good meals a day though. Now I just make sure that they aren’t as unhealthy for me.

I have been active although I am way overweight, I was still walking 5 to 7km every night but eating like a horse. Now I am back jogging and really enjoying the small amount that the programme entails early on. It will sound silly but I do feel better after just a week.

The park I go to, Nong Bua. It is a beautiful park, much nicer I think than the main park called Thung Sri Muang. My park (I call it that) is like a little Oasis in the desert. There is plenty of grass and lots of palm trees. Also the now extended walking and running track circles a huge manmade lake. Here are photos of my park.


The bridge offers walkers and runners a small lap or you can go onto the new extension for a large lap.

The new extension has been open for 4 or 5 months now, it still is undergoing small amounts of work. The paving that was done is absolutely disgraceful; it is up and down like a goat track. We knew this was going to happen when we seen the way the workers were laying the pavers. Never mind as they say here in Thailand. It serves its purpose and also makes you stay alert.

The new extension has to be hand watered every day, I don’t know why but they didn’t put in a sprinkler system. The old part of the park has one.


There is a new shed that has just been finished right at the top of the extension.

Inside the new shed is exercise equipment. It is all hydraulic operated and no free weights. There are machines to work every part of your body. This was the day before it opened and since then has been very busy at nights but in the mornings there is hardly a soul there. The best part is it’s free.

Here the new extension has really taken and looks healthy. The extension cost 40 million Thai Baht.

This is looking across the bridge to Nong Bua temple. Nong Bua is undergoing restorations and the gold is really looking gold again.





I really love going to the park as it is a good release for me after a days work. Lately I had been to social by walking slow and chatting instead of getting the heart rate up. That has all changed for the moment.

On this concrete, aerobics is performed by ladies of all ages from university girls to retirees. It does make the walking more enjoying.

I said that in 17 weeks, now 16 weeks I wanted to lose 17 kilogrammes. That means 88kgs is my first goal weight by the first week of May. I hope I can keep walking the walk.

View Larger Map
Nong Bua Park is the little green football guy. It is opposite Nong Bua Temple. Not too far from Rajavej Hospital and Big C.
Brunty

BBQ Thai style, Isaan Thailand.

The other night after Miss Noot returned from Khon Kaen she was hungry. Can you imagine that? A Thai girl hungry after a 5 and a half hour bus ride!!

Noot has been hounding me about having what they call a barbeque, Thais love to eat this way and call it Korean food. It has been too cold to sit outside of late but now the weather is much nicer.

For 150 Baht you can get a feed to feed four people. The 150 includes all the food you will see and the grilling top and of course the coal and clay pot.

I use our own griller, coal and pot. I start the coal burning and then just ride the 200 metres to the restaurant where you can dine in or takeaway.

Noot is pouring in the soup or stock into the base of the griller.

Noot has used the pig fat to grease the grilling plate and also added some meat. There is pork, chicken and calamari.

The vegetables go into the stock to cook. Also you add some thin noodles.

This is a sweet dipping sauce, very nice and not too spicy.

And here we are just about ready to eat.

We had a heap of meat left over and that went into the fridge and Noot had the next day. All up a pretty cheap night and the food was tasty.

Brunty

A Committee Visit, King's Prize, Thailand.

The other day students were sitting on the ground lining the way to our kindergarten.

This extended right to the front of our school. The students were making a guard of honour of types.

The reason for this was we had a committee visiting us for their final inspection. They were lead by our Director and other Brother to the kindergarten.

The students gave the committee a traditional Thai greeting and bowed their head as they walked by.

This is our kindergarten, it is a huge building. The committee was here for a prize known as The King’s Prize. We have this prize already for primary and secondary levels. The kindergarten used to have this award as well but it only lasts 3 years and then has to be applied for again. The committee visited the school 3 or 4 times before getting to this stage.

The committee was seated in the kindergarten and being entertained by students.

Some students were dancing on the stage. Aren’t they beautiful outfits?

Also there were little workshops set up everywhere. Here students were doing origami.

Here they are making decorative candles.

This boy is making the decorations from moulds for the candles.

Other kids were in the swimming pool. Yes, we have our own little kiddie’s pool.

And there was food and drinks on offer as well.

I have an opinion on all this stuff, I don’t agree with all the hoo-ha that goes on for the months it all drags on but the title of having the award is just so important. I am not going to go on about it as I am not Thai and also I am not running the school so these awards that don’t seem so important to me obviously are to the people running the school.

Anyway, that was just another part of a fun day teaching at a Thai school.

Brunty.