Cool things I've been watching...

Here are some quick opinions on some stuff I've been watching of late...

Scrubs - Season 1

I think scrubs is such a hilarious program; it really seems to be my type of humour. However, I would say that the first series or so is good, but like quite a view US shows, it does get pretty weak as the seasons go on.

Red Dwarf - Season 1 & 2

Haven't seen these for a long time, but still as funny as ever. Found the first series slightly disappointing because Kryton wasn't in it (it seems he doesn't come in as a full time character until later); still had some good laughs though. The second series is getting better, as the "cat" character is slowly starting to become funnier. Strangely he didn't really do much in the first. But I expect it to get even better from now on in. I think it is because I have only ever seen from Season 3 or 4. So I am used to Kryton and Cat being full functioning characters.

Dirty Pretty Things (7.5/10)

A fairly gritty film about illegal immigrants in London, and how they have to survive on low paid jobs; as well as having the authorities checking on them all the time. Not exactly a barrel of laughs, but a good challenging film which makes you think. I am very cynical of Hollywood films, so end up watching lots of films like this.

The Woodsman (7.5/10)

Another pretty moving and sensitive film about a guy who is struggling with his inappropriate feelings towards young girls. He has just come out of prison and is on the US version of the sex offenders register. Kevin Bacon plays a pretty good lead role, and you end up feeling for the characters struggle. Again, only watch this if you are in the mood for some soul searching, rather than gung ho simple entertainment.

Well that's what I've been watching of late... now I am going to settle down to watching another episode of Red Dwarf before bed.... aaarrrggghh.. I might even have some hot chocolate ha ha :)

WARNING.... FOOTBALL TALK :)

As a pretty avid supporter of Arsenal, i have had a pretty up and down sort of week. I couldn't believe how well we played to beat Real Madrid 0-1 last week. We passed around as well as I have ever seen us do, we in fact out played those overpaid buffons in white (i have always hated Real, simply because they are like that dream club in champ Manager who can buy EVERYONE, although that mantle has been stolen for now by Chelski). So of course I expected us to go and take Blackburn apart in our last game, leaving me to rub my hands with glee. However, we kinda fell flat on our arses and lost the game 1-0. The look on sparky's face afterwards just left me feeling like freaking out and supporting WE ARE CRAP FC instead; then at least i wouldn't cringe everytime we loose. However, after a little cooling down period, i infact came to my senses. This season has been up and down, but Arsene has put together a young and potentially brilliant team. He hasn't spent those Russians billions, yet he has built a team who could potentially takeover from Chelsea and put us back in the number 1 spot within the next 2-4 years. I can put up with this inconsistency for now, and smile when the results start rolling in again. Arsene is the best manager we have ever had, and i hope he stays at the club another 10 years. And anyway, we will win the Champions League this year anyway.... ha ha :)

The forum on this site is excellent. 

yet another great blog!! 

A good site for renting or finding a job! forum isnt a patch on forumosa.com though :) 

A good site that unfortunately can go quiet for long periods.. 

A very amusing yet informative blog! 

Good reviews of movies, books on here... 

A very good and regularly updated blog by Michael Turton. 

some great blogs/sites..

I thought I would do a round of the sites that I regularly look at from back here in blighty. They are what gave me the idea of starting up a blog. Since coming back from Taiwan I have looked to these sites for a regular fix,to reminding me of what is going on over there. They are all good sights for those wanting a low down on Taiwan.

Enjoy - I am tired so have just left a short comment with each link!!

Thats it for today kids!!

Well, the first day of my blog has come to a close. I have been badgering away posting up some stuff today so that it doesnt look so empty. Hopefully, i can find the time to post regularly, but hey i'm not promising anything. It feels quite weird right now as i know that no-one has or will look at this blog for probably some time yet.... so i am basically talking to myself right now. But hopefully it wont be like that for too long ha ha!

UK Vs Taiwan

Many people ask me why i liked living in Taiwan more than i currently like the UK, well kids, this is why.

UK

PRO's

1. I can see my family & UK friends more often
2. My life is easy to organise.. i can easily sort out credit cards, bills, bank stuff, etc.
3. I can easily own and drive a car (although its expnsive)
4. I can easily go moutain biking... like in forests
5. I am living in a culture that accepts my liking of alcohol
6. I understand everything around me
7. I can easily buy and cook good food at home cheaply
   

CON's

1. The weather is too cold, and the winters too dark.
2. Eating in restaurants costs an arm and a leg
3. Scratch that... most things cost an arm and a leg
4. The abundance of teenage gangs and/or people who could potentially threaten you
5. There are no surprises; you know how things work.
6. Getting stuck into the whole "settling down" thing, which i would say is more likely to happen here.

Taiwan

Pro's

1. Hot weather and the ability to wear flip-flops and shorts for big chunks of the year.
2. Everyday seeming like a holiday/adventure. You always find new things to see/do.
3. Awesome food, that is cheap to buy in restaurants.
4. Great holidays in SE Asia a stones throw away.
5. Never feeling threatened in public
6. Great and efficient medical system
   

Con's

1. Being a long way away from family/friends/help in a crisis
2. Pollution and overcrowding (which i never actually found that bad really)
3. Things that should be routine can turn more complex
4. Eating cheap, nice food at home is pretty much impossible.
5. Being stared at by locals from time to time

So basically, thats that. I couldnt bear thinking of the boredome of staying here after experiencing the good life to be had in Asia. I would say to anyone feeling bored of their life in their homeland (who can handle a challenge), go and live in another culture; you'll love it......but make it somewhere hot, ey!!


A small town near Hsinchu 

speech is such a precious thing...

as a man with a speech impediment, i can really appreciate the above statement. Most people simply dont appreciate the value of being able to talk "normally", in other words how society expects. But for me, and many others, this simply isnt the case. I have had all those classic experiences of having big pauses when people ask you your name, and they think you cant remember it! I have had those moments when you try to order a train ticket to Scarborough, but get stuck on the Sc.... part. For fellow stutterers (sorry fluency challenged) out there, you would all sigh a big sigh and nod your head knowingly. In fact, i consider myself pretty lucky as i only have a mild stammer that rears its ugly head more when i am nervous. And i have had enough practice at relaxing myself in the face of adversity to mean that most people, most of the time wouldnt think i have any sort of problem. There are people out there who are MUCH worse, and who deal with it every day too. I have much respect for them. I suppose a major problem is that people dont know how to react when you stutter in front of them, or the people around you feel that they need to help you cover it up by not talking about it. But in fact, i am at ease with my situation and wouldnt feel uncomfortable talking about it; in fact they might maybe understand it more then, rather than just thinking that i should talk slower, or whatever. People seem to think that it is a simplistic problem and wonder why i haven't sorted it yet. but believe me, this stammer becomes part of your physical and pyschological make up as a person; it is entrenched in you from that first embarassing moment as a kid. So it takes a lot of hard graft to get to grips with it. And infact getting to grips with it is a daily chore. I find it is like having a negative voice in my head that keeps pointing out situations in my life where i might stammer, and i have to keep shutting this out with my own positive self talk. My life is based around confidence and being confident; its a constant battle. I am winning it, but i do have relapses. The thing that is also hard to take is the fact that it seems to go in cycles. For a few weeks i might feel uber confident and talk fluently at all times; then i might have a week at some point where it seems hard to have any sort of coherent conversation. So these ups and downs add to it all. Anyway, i wanted to give you all an insight and i hope i have. And i know that i will NEVER let this thing get the better of me; i will NEVER let it stop me do anything. This is what i tell myself every morning when i wake up.

Life in waiting....

So heres a summing up of the situation i am in right now... my life is in limbo, and is pretty boring. But i can cope with that, in the knowledge that it will soon get much more interesting. The thing is I came back from being an ESL kindergarden teacher in Taiwan one and a half years ago, i have come back, qualified as a teacher in the UK, and now work as a Reception teacher in an outer London school. But my life, my friends, my girlfriend are all back in Taiwan. I dont have many friends where i currently live, and all my other UK friends live far away in Yorkshire. So i am in a limbo situation; and i plan to go back to Taiwan to teach in an international school in the next 6-12 months, so i dont see the point in spending a lot of time or money building up a network of friends down here. So my life right now basically contains watching films, doing stuff on the computer, and going out for a mountain bike ride most weekends with a couple of lads from school. Now i am happy to put up with this, knowing that when i go back to Taiwan i can make up for it BIG TIME!! And my simple life is meaning i can also not get into debt and in fact save a little for when i do go back. Do you think that is reasonable!! I am not a sad person, dont pity me, i have just made this decision. My house mate (who is a lovely girl by the way), keeps saying "havn't you done anything" etc. etc. and its starting to get to me. I have explained my situation to her many times but she just doesnt get it. Shes the type who just cant be alone for ANY amount of time; she has to be out and about with people all of her free time. Anyway, i am kinda hoping she gets it eventually!!

Am i tight?

I often look at my self and wonder whether i am tight or not (as they say "tight as a nats arse"). I always try to convince myself that i am in fact careful with money, but not tight. I always have to weigh up expenditure in my life, and whether i can afford it or not! But the annoying thing is, i find myself thinking like this for even small purchases. Resenting parting with £5 for some unforseen expense. But when it comes to special ocassions i can still turn on the style and not feel any anxiety. For New Year's, me and my GF went to a well smart london hotel for the night and had a plush romantic dinner to boot, and for my mum's recent birthday i took us out for a nice meal. And I do buy drinks for people, and tip pretty well at restaurants. I also think my current situation isnt helping, as after coming back from Taiwan i have had to think about money a lot more. I earn a decent amount here but still nowhere near enough to reach the equivalent of what i was earning over there!! And i am hoping to go back soon, so am trying to save money for when i do. Finally, i am nearly 30 and dont have a pension (just a small portfolio of shares), so i can use this as an excuse for my worrying... its also interesting to find out what has made me like this; what part of my childhood has contributed to this way of thinking. Any budding psychologists out there would be welcome to make a diagnosis :) In the meantime, drinks are on me...... no really..... well, as long as you dont buy anything too expensive.

My beloved car....

While i have been back in the UK i have loved having my car (although haven't loved being crap at paralell parking!). At first i had this Peug 206 - which was nice but basically a girls car!! Then last year i stuck mt neck out and bought a "boys" car. That being a Nissan Almera GTI; hey, its 7 years old and a bit rough around the edges, but when you get behind the wheel you know that you are about to have some fun. I called it "the monster" after driving it for the first time; it just felt so ready to rip your head off at any moment (come on guys, i had just had a bloody 206...). But this is definetely a situation of tough love. Over the half term hol's i had to take it in for its MOT... and it cost me 600 quid to get it right. The brakes needed A LOT of work; so enjoyment ALWAYS comes at a price!! And my insurance aint exactly cheap for a car worth less than 2 grand! Anyhoo.. everytime i drive it i still smile... ha ha... all you small city cars out there watch out!!


Here is my (expensive) baby 

The start......but dont hold your breath

I have decided to start a blog after reading many other peoples blogs - hope i can add something interesting to the array of other blogs out there. Anyway, lets see how it goes and whether i can be bothered to keep this updated :)