News

OK – it has been quite a while since I posted an update but there has been a lot going on.

First off, I got married last month in Thailand.  www.appleandnang.com

I held out for almost 8 years so I think I did quite well. 

The wedding was amazing – a traditional Thai wedding in Nangs home village.  For all the foreigners who made it there – it’s something that they will certainly never forget.  It started very early – we were leaving the hotel at 4.45am!  The 9 monks came to the house and this was followed by a “parade” through the village and back to the house.  Then more painful kneeling for the main ceremony.

Once I figured out that I should just go with the flow the day went brilliant.  There is no point in trying to over plan events like these...... most of the old people were arguing and discussing what to do all day long – and mostly just never agreed...... so I was sent left, right, straight, back etc..... but it was all part of the crack.

Then after the ceremony there was a “Maw Lam Sing” in the back garden.  There was a huge stage with singers and dancers and this went on for hours.  The sun was beating down but somehow everyone managed to get the energy to get up and dance.

Later in the afternoon/evening we had a sing-song and the local policeman joined in.  He took a liking to the red wine!

For the following few days we stayed in the village and helped out around the place...... Finally, we headed to Vietnam on the honeymoon.  I like Vietnam but Thailand is just so much better.  From my memories of my global trip, the food in Vietnam was a lot better than what we got this time around.  We were also staying in much more luxurious accommodation so that could explain things.  I definitely prefer to stay in more “local” surroundings to get a real taste of the country and culture.... rather than hanging around with other foreigners.

We had a mad few days in Bangkok before heading home.  Loads of shopping and a couple of quiet nights out.... In fact at this stage we were totally exhausted.....but we found a great hotel in Bangkok called Siam@Siam – definitely recommended.

We came back to Ireland together and moved into our new house in Dalkey.  Its on the same road as where we were living before but its a 3 bed semi-detached bungalow with a nice big back garden.  Its a really nice pad and we really like it – except for the first week there was no heating and it was really cold in Ireland.  Things have picked up a lot since then and the weather is amazing now (plus the heating has been fixed).



Still trying to sell my fathers Jaguar 1969 E-Type.  If anyone knows anyone interested then let me know.

http://picasaweb.google.com/applemanthai/JaguarEType1969

Advert is here:

http://www.carzone.ie/1219011

Politics & Biz

Fianna Fail are going to get hammered at the elections..... and they deserve it.  They are completely out of touch with the electorate and still haven’t taken any of the blame for our current economic plight.  They keep blaming international forces but that is complete bullshit.  They over relied on construction and kept adding fuel to an already out of control fire.  And what did they do with all the extra revenue income?  They wasted it and paid off the public servants with unwarranted salary increases and bonuses.  Bertie has a lot to answer for and I cant believe that some people still see him as a great person- he is a lying, cheating and conniving little man.  Cowen isn’t much better except he may not have had his hand in the pie as much as Bertie.

Enda is doing a little better these days but he just doesn’t inspire confidence.  If they had a more energetic and likeable leader, then Fine Gael would get back in on their own in the next election.

I predict that a lot of independents will be elected this time around – almost as a protest vote against the mainstream parties.  I also don’t think that Libertas will get as much support as people predicted.  There are too many questions about Ganlys association with the US and his recent comment about supporting a European army stinks (seeing as though his company supplies the US defence forces with so much gear).

Sport

Ireland did the grand slam of rugby this Year – Ireland, Munster and Leinster all triumphed and the Lions will hit South Africa this summer. 

United won the league and made the final of the Champions League – but just didn’t turn up on the night.  Barcelona were very impressive and Iniesta is probably the best player in the world right now.
The transfers have already started with Barry going to Man City.  I reckon they will buy a lot of players this time around as they have the money to splash out.  However, still unsure if Hughes is the right person to get all the superstars to work together.

I think United will sell a few players – including Tevez, Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson and Wes Brown.  Not sure who he will buy but probably Benzema.  It would be nice if he could get a few of the midfielders from Barca but that is unlikely.

I haven’t been following much of the tennis or golf recently but Wimbledon will be on soon and the British public will get carried away with Andy Murray again.

Techie

I used my new Samsung camera while on hols and it took pretty good pictures.  The only problem was that it was poor at night and in low light conditions.  Then, when I came home i figured out which setting I should have been using.  I still haven’t got around to uploading all my photos yet.  My laptop battery is dead and I don’t spend much time on the laptop in the evenings anymore.  Im trying to get out more as the evenings are so nice. 

The new battery should arrive soon and I am also waiting on my BT Broadband router to be delivered.  Once I get that

I also bought a new cheap phone in Thailand – cause it takes 2 SIM cards.  All looked good until I figured out I cant sync it with my PC – so its basically useless.  Im not going to manually transfer all my contacts to the phone.

Ents

Well the crack in Thailand is nothing like the crack in Ireland.  For some reason, I tend to be a totally different person in both places.  In Ireland, I don’t really enjoy going out and have very few friends.  Instead, I mostly just watch TV and go for walks.  However, while in Thailand I always find that I am full of energy and regularly head out to bars, clubs and even just walking around a supermarket is great fun. 

I joke with Nang cause she prefers Ireland while I prefer Thailand – mainly because she gets all the attention here and I get all the attention there.  Somehow, we are going to have to figure out a way that we can live 6 months in both places.  That would be the ideal scenario but unfortunately its unlikely that our financial situation will allow for that – unless I think of some great idea!

IMHO

Back to the grind is such a pain in the ass – especially after having a blast for 3 full weeks.  I just cant wait for my next trip back over to Thailand.  It will probably be February or March next year before I get over there – and that is a long time away.

The funny thing is that I came back to Ireland to spend more time with family and friends but that just hasn’t happened.  I see less of my father cause he used to visit Thailand for a full month a year.  I see very little of Denis and practically see nothing of any of my “friends”...... The only person I see more of is Evan........

Add to that, the large drop in salary and the increase in the cost of living it is hard to get to terms with living in Ireland again..... 

I wonder if this relates to the fact that the calming influence in my life is the other side of the world????

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