Hi folks,

Just to let you know I'm doing ok and had a fine christmas and new year,

if you have a spare ten minutes please feel free to read about it. Its a

long one I felt like writing stuff and it may get a bit boring if you're anyone 

bar mum who really wants to hear what I'm doing every second of the day.

A very messy christmas

As I may have said before i have to bloody work on christmas day its

exam week too sitting in exams for 6 hours is just damn dull. I was 





contemplating just bunking off, there is normally someone about to cover. 





But I manfully struggled out of bed on the most holy day of the year. Held by 





me to be the most holy because it’s a pagan holiday when people get together





 to drink and give each other presents. I think some people want to change it 





to some celebration of Christ, personally I can't see it catching on.

So I get there and I'm invigilating an exam with an elderly thai woman,

and only half the students have papers. I know the students so I inquire as

to how they will do there exam today without papers. Much confusion all

round so  head off to the exam office and one of the teachers who is 





pretending she is organising things, she informs me that these students have 





made a mistake and they don't have an exam, possible, I ask her again and 





 she says she spoken to the French teacher and she said no exam today and there is no exam in today’s pile.

Now this is a really tricky situation in Thailand, I think the teacher is completely





 wrong about this but I can't say "hey teach you got your head up your arse on





 this one I know those students and they know what’s going on", this might get





 me fired or shot maybe.

Sometimes you have to be prepared for people who haven't got a clue about 





something to swear blind that they know this as a fact, when they have no such





 knowledge, but they cant be seen not to know whats going on as they would 





lose face.  So I suggested it would be a good idea to phone the teacher so she





 could come down and explain to her students that they didn't have an exam.

So low and behold 5 minutes later the French teacher comes in and finds the 





exam hidden in a pile of papers for Thursday. I rush off to the exam and





 receive a polite round of applause for sorting the exam papers out for the 





students, I think this is the only time I've ever seen an exam cheered before.

So five minutes later the person overseeing the exam with me talks to one 





of the students and then and writes me a note saying " I go to hospital ",





one student explains to me she has a bad throat and has to go. So thats me





 sitting by myself in an exam Christmas morning the time when I should be 





cracking open walnuts and stealing roast potatoes before they are ready.

Well at least its not hard work.

Lunch was fun I went to the market to get some french fries and dave one of





 my colleagues bought in a christmas cake, together with the instant custard 





I brought it was a fine christmas desert.

Then afternoon exam I was chatting to a Tim who was on his way to the pub 





being most envious, when the heavens opened a flash of light came down from





 the sky and illuminated the exam room and the janitor walked and said





 " hoong nee mai mee sorp wannee" , 





which means this wrong room it doesn't have an exam , 





yes indeed in was a christmas miracle.

So I went  straight to the pub, then on to sizzlers for evening meal 





with a few old teaching friends, then met up with some of daves friends in the 





pub under the landmark hotel. Then on to dodgy go-go bar to share





 a few drinks with some girls wearing christmas hats on christmas night.

I didn't come in the next day, and when asked i said I had a special type 





of illness "christmas fever", my boss just laughed.

well a late merry christmas and happy new year to you all

love dom