Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network®

Teaching English in China

2010-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

After a long wait I've decided to make the move once more to China to teach English. I have chosen a school near Beijing which is close to the Great Wall of China and lucking forward to seeing the attractions and the best of Chinese culture and cuisine. It's Monday 5th July 2010, almost a year since I left Bangladesh to move to China last where I only spent four months in total. This time I have a visa for three months which I expect to be upgraded to a working visa. Also lucking forward to a stay in Hong Kong nearer christmas to get some nightlife action and shopping.

I'm lucky to have good Chinese friends that have organised everything for me for my stay in China from the hotel when I arrive in Beijing to the the flight which was paid for by the school i'm working for. This is almost unheard of having such benefits before arrival so I'm lucking forward to this trip more than ever. Working in England has been tough swopping from agency to agency to find work and also been unemployed so its a pleasure to be on the teaching and travel circuit once more. After four years in Thailand I have to find the best of my English lesson plans to enable a good rapport with the school, parents and students. To all those who are teaching in China good luck with your stay and I hope to catch up with some of you in the near future.

The Teaching of Buddism

2010-04-14T12:34:00.001-07:00

Before the thirteenth century, the region now called Thailand was composed of many small independent kingdoms. Buddhist influence had already been felt in this region as a result of contact with neighbouring countries. At the end of the thirteenth century, Theravada Buddhism gained the support of the Thai king, Ramkham-haeng. He invited Buddhist monks to teach in his capital city of Sukothai. He also established relations with Sri Lanka by sending monks there to study. Furthermore, he began the tradition of appointing a Sangha chief to oversee the administration of the monastic community. Under his patronage, all the people in his kingdom were said to have become Buddhists.

About half a century later, there was another devout and learned king called Luthai who was a strong supporter of Buddhism. He joined the Order for a period of time and is said to have initiated the Thai tradition of Buddhists becoming monks for a limited period of time, usually about three months.

In spite of the wars in the centuries following, Buddhism continued to grow in importance and enjoyed uninterrupted state support. The Thai Order is as influential today as it was in the past. However, some reforms have been introduced since the turn of the present century. There is greater emphasis on Buddhist education and the monks are actively involved not only in teaching the religion, but also in providing secular education for the lay people. Many monks still teach in the primary and secondary schools that have been set up in the Buddhist monasteries throughout the country. Many others also pursue higher studies at Buddhist colleges and universities. Over the past few decades, some monks have been sent overseas to spread the teachings of the Buddha.

2010-03-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

English is a subtle language spoken with various tones created to communicate in balanced meaningful ways. There are methods when English languages sound Direct or Indirect. For example English Citizens choose a direct meaningful word for a direct answer. If the question is meaningful and spoken from the heart the conclusion should be an honest reply. Direct speech spoken with a louder voice tends to sound off balanced and sometimes rude. English citizens should be excused for this direct method with words that control an event or time of need, in slang otherwise known as ‘get the job done.’

English has been used for decades as an international language to nurture and improve our countries communication of education. Direct & Indirect speech is opposite and for should be controlled accordingly. There are higher methods of learning such techniques for business. These methods are difficult to understand but when organized correctly, the speaker becomes communicative from all angles. In context even serious teachers have problems teaching these methodical speech therapies.

Grammar contains thousands of rules designed to teach the bios of the language. Answers to learning English is simple, be conscious of how the language makes you feel when spoken and remember to never forget teacher’s reason for the lesson. Each lesson should have a headline and the conclusion should express how the grammar and words assisted you in learning. How did you feel about your teacher at the end of the lesson?

Since 2001 I have been teaching English to Asian students in Asia. I have gained experience in other various fields that has assisted me with teaching English. I consider all certificates and work experience important. I love teaching and have been rewarded with some of the best moments of my life.

Human Network

2010-02-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Environmental knowledge reports show less networks have effected natural progression of business. Our continuous improvement network has climbed to new heights for the future of network members who have witnessed career and social hold backs. Our mission is to control powerful market chains for improved business ethics. These are required to repair a business and its functions without interrupted issues. We require members to establish themselves on our network to complete maintenance. The key issue is to remove powerful marketing techniques that have disrupted natural emotions through psychology and release the network without fault. You work for a small organization where you wear many hats. You are the network admin for PCs and your routers and switches. Anything that's broken is YOUR problem and only your fault. So, you walk into your office one morning, and you hear the phone ringing. You have an irate user on the other end telling you that the "network is down." I always love those calls where a user, who has no networking background, tells you that the network is down without any analysis tools or technical background. After years of working in networking, you probably know that if the network were really down, then the whole department would probably be calling you and not just this one same user every morning.

Mental Preparation

The first and foremost concept for troubleshooting is not to panic. It might sound like the simplest thing, but that is the reason why some new administrators make mistakes. Then, they dig themselves deeper because they panic. A calm mind can identify the problem and approach the problem with a systematic method. Sometimes, if you have been working with the problem for a long time, it will not hurt to just walk away from the problem and look at it after taking a break. You’ll see that there are some very obvious things you missed. I also like the buddy system. You might want to have someone else look at the problem rather than you seeing or not seeing the same issue - which was probably staring right at you.

Now, we know that in real life you can’t just walk away from a problem; your management might not appreciate that. You might be losing many millions of dollars while the network is down. I can tell you that in certain medical environments, you want to fix the problem fast since someone’s life might depend on that piece of equipment that you are trying to fix.

Executive Summary

As the design and deployment of data center physical infrastructure moves away from art and more toward science, the benefits of a standardized and predictable process are becoming compelling. Beyond the ordering, delivery, and installation of hardware, any build or upgrade project depends critically upon a well-defined process as insurance against surprises, cost overruns, delays, and frustration. This paper presents an overview of a standardized, step-by-step process methodology that can be adapted and configured to suit individual requirements.

English Etiquette Network removes and distributes market negativity that has created powerful marketing techniques unless their aim is to provide smaller businesses social support in sales of similar market ventures for combined success. Our network has evidence to share with members, who are intrigued to learn how businesses have been withheld over recent years. Our network ventures into certain barriers that have lead to business failure inclusion of local family businesses that have been around for years. Our network remains available to these small businesses that offer local services of enlightenment and support.

Remember this important note, English Etiquette Elite concentrates on network analysis and maintenance for Emerald Cosmopolitan Phenomena Network (ICON), a network of incredible achievement since the its launch several years ago. Our customers should never show regret or blame and remain concentrated on where our network will reach in the following years. We will protect you from the mentioned business powers and discuss how a business can thrive as globalization reaches its next phase.

Join our network and enjoy live presentations from our team dedicated to their work in contributing to the network sophistication. We are announcing a world program for creation and development. Our platforms await the continuous membership to our platforms where network presentations will take place. The effort and controlled environments through maintenance comes from a world audience awaiting our launch. For more information join Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network. For more information email the contact below. Whatever your reason for this crossover phase in joining our network new dreams and roads represent a direction or goal in life. If the road is straight and narrow, you may feel that you are on the right path. if it winding bumpy, your plans may be vague or you may be meeting with unexpected challenges or obstacles. if you never get to the destination, something could be preventing you from reaching your goal

Our network opens its gates at £$29,00

What receive for membership fee to Emerald Cosmopolitan Phenomena Network is inside information from our blue rooms that monitors Internet trends and useful friendly information. We will forward concrete information on how the internet and social patterns are forming. Our research center runs continuous improvements and real life recommendations on how the world of networking is going to be run. White papers are posted in real time to our network from where we work together to demonstrate an improved system. Our demo network teams are international and can be called out to almost any country in the world to assist a network that needs a good honest opinion. Our network team offers a solution online and the rest is done in fine etiquette and behind closed doors. this is an offer from the higher achy of social trends where a solution means actual improvement and down right success.

The Time is Now!!!

Mr. Stephen Peter Jones

Doublezeroh@yahoo.com

English Etiqette Network (Freedom of Choice) Crossed Wires

2010-02-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

The network is crammed with calls but the buyers market could be on hold to bring fairness into a network. Trust our network to unscramble this mess and provide a better service. Join us now, sit back and rest assured we wont be beaten. Thai Treasure Trove our sister network has been in the hotel industry for quite a few years and although unplugged the hotel chains are left with 887 hotels at risk of loosing 887 hotels worth of chain businesses.

Thai Treasure Trove is unplugged but almost live, ready to climb back on board with English Etiquette Network, our business education enterprise. Just to confuse players, our original Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network remains live with the strategies of trust for our enterprise establishments to climb on board. Read on >>

Lewis Maltby says that employees are often surprised at the reasons over which they can be fired.

With all that you hear today in the news about employees suing former employers, you’d think that it would be very difficult for an employer to actually fire someone. But the reality is different in the private sector.

In a recent interview on NPR, Maltby said, “Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment - but only where the government is concerned. What most Americans generally don’t know is that the Constitution doesn’t apply to private corporations at all.”

Private corporations can fire someone for almost anything. Maltby related an incident when a worker was fired for having a bumper sticker that expressed a political view that did not jibe with the CEO’s.

The only thing that a corporation cannot do is eavesdrop on a personal oral conversation. Anything else, Maltby said, “is open season.”

I’ve written before about how employers-potential and existing-are within legal limits to peruse individuals’ personal blogs or Facebook pages, and to watch what you put there. Maltby says employers do this regularly and can fire someone over what they see.

And it doesn’t stop there. In his book, Maltby relates stories of employer abuses that include tracking employees through cell phone GPS locators to placing hidden cameras in restrooms. He says that 20% of employers now require employees to agree before being hired not to go to court if the corporation violates their legal rights.

While most people would agree that a private company has the right to run itself any way it sees fit, you can see how this right could be abused. Maltby is pushing for the Bill of Rights to apply to the private sector. In the book appendixes, he provides sample letters to elected representatives and human rights organizations as well as an Employee Bill of Rights.

Cooling & Power Capacity Systems for Data Centers

2010-02-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is a decent read explaining how data centers control information for future global communication. English Etiquette Elite have a responsibility to members to make procedures for this management of communication available for our future partners in global networking.

http://i.zdnet.com/whitepapers/APC_Power_and_Cooling_Capacity_Management_for_Data_Centers.pdf?tag=content;leftCol

Where is The Money?

2010-01-31T13:14:00.001-08:00

Mental Preparation

The first and foremost concept for troubleshooting is not to panic. It might sound like the simplest thing, but that is the reason why some new administrators make mistakes. Then, they dig themselves deeper because they panic. A calm mind can identify the problem and approach the problem with a systematic method. Sometimes, if you have been working with the problem for a long time, it will not hurt to just walk away from the problem and look at it after taking a break. You’ll see that there are some very obvious things you missed. I also like the buddy system. You might want to have someone else look at the problem rather than you seeing or not seeing the same issue - which was probably staring right at you.

Now, we know that in real life you can’t just walk away from a problem; your management might not appreciate that. You might be losing many millions of dollars while the network is down. I can tell you that in certain medical environments, you want to fix the problem fast since someone’s life might depend on that piece of equipment that you are trying to fix.

Sentosa Island Re-United

2010-01-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

This was a great occasion of how people from my travels can have fun, people from all over the world. I guess a good network could make it better.

The Globalisation Game Warms Up!

2010-01-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

The Linux Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of registration and call for papers for the 4th Annual Collaboration Summit which will take place April 14-16, 2010 in San Francisco.
Presented by platinum sponsors Intel and IBM, the Collaboration Summit is an exclusive, invitation-only gathering of the brightest minds in Linux, including core kernel developers, distribution maintainers, ISVs, end users, system vendors and other community organizations. It is the only conference designed to accelerate collaboration and encourage solutions by bringing together a true cross-section of leaders to meet face-to-face to tackle the most pressing issues facing Linux today.

Topics for this year’s Collaboration Summit will include high performance computing, legal issues and cross-community/cross-industry collaboration. The agenda will be finalized and posted on our website in the coming weeks. As in past years, this event is limited to only
300 people, and will fill up quickly.

The Annual Collaboration Summit will be co-located again this year with the CELF Embedded Linux Conference. The winner of the 2nd Annual Linux Foundation Video Contest will also be revealed at the summit, where the winning video and honorable mentions will be screened for
the event’s attendees.

Abstract:

Purpose – The paper aims to increase our understanding of an under-investigated research area of consumption, that is, cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation.

Design/methodology/approach – About 16 informants, either Australians who had worked or studied overseas, or expatriates residing in Australia, participated in a qualitative research study. Analysis was an iterative process involving textual interpretation of interview transcripts and photographs supplied by informants.

Findings – Support is found for Thompson and Tambyah's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation comprises dominant masculine and counter-veiling feminine traits. Contradicting Thompson and Tambyah, the study validates Cannon and Yaprak's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation simultaneously embraces maintaining close ties to their cultural roots and seeking to consume products from other cultures. Additional aspects of cosmopolitanism are identified, including the benefits of expatriate enclaves and difficulties upon returning home.

Research limitations/implications – Theory validation arises as a consequence of finding partial support for past findings. Theory generation manifests as suggested modifications to extant theory and identification of additional aspects of cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation.

Practical implications – Understanding cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation has implications for understanding consumption of culturally distant products.

Originality/value – The paper offers foundations for future research into an increasingly significant aspect of consumption.

English Etiquette Elite

Cross cultural businesses have arrived on our door-step but have these companies been through our cultural awareness program in person. I doubt it, but we except excellent forward destined initiatives as fair comment and on most cases accurate. Our platform operates on most levels, this is our awareness and source for information without invitation, more as mission executives. is this a game of chess or actual precision engineering results from continuous progressive researchers.

Citrix XenDesktop & English Etquette Elite Network

2010-01-29T03:13:00.000-08:00

Whether you’re considering your first virtual desktop solution or trying to salvage an existing implementation, Citrix XenDesktop™ is the clear choice on the market that offers the performance, scalability and manageability required to meet your business needs.

In a head-to-head comparison with VMware View, XenDesktop provides a host of benefits that View doesn’t offer — including clearly superior performance over any network and up to 10X lower bandwidth utilization. XenDesktop enhances IT visibility with built-in service level assurance tools for proactive problem resolution, scalable single image management and role-based application delivery for streamlined management. In this white paper, we provide a point-by-point comparison between the technologies and benefits offered by Citrix XenDesktop and VMware View that you should consider before choosing a VDI provider.

One of the biggest IT challenges most organizations face is the management of hundreds and possibly thousands of client devices. The resources required to deploy, support, manage, and maintain an efficient client infrastructure with a modern desktop environment are substantial. Desktop device configurations must be robust, flexible and remain agile across mobile devices, desktop computers, laptops, thin clients and now virtual desktops.Large scale desktop deployments also represent one of the most challenging projects an organization can undertake and success can lead to higher usage and productivity as well as a lower cost infrastructure and improved ROI on your hardware and software investment.

English Ettie Elite Etiquette has extensive expertise in the design and deployment of desktop solutions that range from large scale desktop upgrades though to complex server based computing and vitalization solutions. By utilising a combination of our deployment services with the latest desktop technologies, our customers will benefit from reduced deployment risk and more efficiency within their desktop environment. Your environment and desktop is the key to your future.

They build the future, we test it!

English Ettiquette Share a Point

2010-01-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

The Digital Marketing Revolution

Between the buzz of social networking sites, the rise of the blogosphere, and the continued drive of online advertising, digital media and marketing through digital means has moved to a prominent concern and opportunity for most mainstream businesses. The effects of which can be seen in a continued shift of the top spenders on advertising away from traditional media.

Spending follows a shift in customer activity to online, mobile devices, game consoles, and other areas not easily reached by traditional advertising. Digital media and marketing allow advertisers to observe and reach the ever-elusive customers yet also drive greater accountability and return on their marketing investments. This shift in technology adoption, led by the Web and mobile devices has started to shift not only how consumers interact with businesses but with each other.

User-generated content, social applications, mash-ups—things once simply labeled as "Web 2.0"—represent a Web incarnation of an overall shift in expectations many consumers have around technology and the expectations they have for interactions with businesses, brands and products; a shift towards collaboration in creating personal, interactive and social experiences.

Though advertising garners the most attention with respect to digital marketing, it is only one aspect of the overall marketing relationship, a relationship increasingly driven by interactions through software. Businesses must consider not only how they attract customers but how they engage and excite them as well.

This trend is not limited to the Web. From mobile phones to interactive TV to in-store experiences, customers increasingly expect these relevant, interactive and social experiences to be consistent across all of their devices, all aspects of their lives. Businesses cannot support these types of experiences through a series of isolated Web sites, mobile applications, etc. Connections must be made from back-end systems out to a myriad of end-points using a combination of software plus services. At the same time, many businesses are busy building ad platforms to better track and control advertising investments. Piece by piece, most companies are building marketing platforms, often unknowingly.

Read on to learn how Microsoft offers a unique ability to not only help provide the technology to support marketing platforms—from back end business systems all the way to advertising solutions— but the experience to help bridge the two worlds of marketing and information technology.

Microsoft offers a unique ability to not only help provide the technology to support marketing platforms—from back end business systems all the way to advertising solutions— but the experience to help bridge the two worlds of marketing and information technology.

Globalization & World Etiquette

2010-01-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

Global Etiquette, reached from one standard, from one organization, from our network.

The People

Four countries make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Residents of any of these countries may be called "British." Use "English," "Scot" or "Scotsman," "Welsh" and "Irish" or "Northern Irish" only when certain of a person’s heritage. While the four countries share many customs, each has its own set of cultural nuances.

In England, politeness, reserve, and restraint are admired. The English are courteous, unassuming and unabrasive and are very proud of their long and rich history.

Scots are passionate about their country, guarding its uniqueness and refusing to go along with English ideas. While cool and aloof externally, they are extremely sentimental about their family and their country. Overall Scots are free of class consciousness and social elitism, except in religion.

Generally, Protestants mix only with Protestants and Catholics mix only with Catholics.

Scots have a keen, subtle sense of humor and value generosity, respectability.

Wales has been part of the United Kingdom for more than 400 years, but has kept its own language, literature and traditions. Most residents of Wales are of Welsh or English heritage. Many immigrants from former British colonies and other parts of U.K. Welsh take great pride in their country and their heritage. The Welsh love to sing and talk and spend much of their free time at with their families.

Two-thirds of the Northern Irish have Scottish or English roots. The others are of Irish descent. Irish value friendliness, sincerity and nature. They dislike pretentious behavior and possess a strong work ethic. Family ties are very important in Northern Ireland.

Meeting and Greeting

* The British are reserved, which may cause them to appear cool and indifferent or overly formal. In fact, they are very friendly and helpful to foreigners.
* Shake hands with everyone present -- men, women, and children -- at business and social meetings. Shake hands again when leaving.
* Handshakes are light -- not firm.
* Women should extend their hand to men first.
* Use last names and appropriate titles until specifically invited by your British hosts or colleagues to use their first names.

Body Language

* The British are not back slappers or touchers and generally do not display affection in public.
* Hugging, kissing and touching is usually reserved for family members and very close friends.
* The British like a certain amount of personal space. Do not stand too close to another person or put your arm around someone's shoulder.
* Staring is considered rude.

Corporate Culture

* In Great Britain, punctuality is important for business meetings. Be on time.
* Brits prefer a congenial business relationship, but tend to get right down to business after a few moments of polite conversation.
* Business is best initiated through a well-connected third party.
* The Board of Directors is the source of power and the principal decision making unit in a company. Formal approval of the board is required for most decisions. Decisions may be slow in the making.
* Expect formalities and protocol to be observed in business, especially in London.
* Business organization traditionally is multi-layered with a vertical chain of command. A network of committees, formal and informal, exists in larger companies. Group consensus is preferred to individual initiative.
* In older companies, business still centers around the "old boy network" with prep schools, universities and family ties being of great importance. Newer companies are more progressive.
* Meetings should be scheduled well in advance.
* Meetings generally have a concrete objective, such as: making a decision, developing a plan or arriving at an agreement.
* Presentations should be detailed and subdued.
* Scots are known for being skilled businesspersons, priding themselves for being internationalists. They also are suspicious of "go-getters" and respect success only when it is achieved over time.

Dining and Entertainment

* Summon a waiter by raising your hand. Don't wave or shout.
* Most business entertaining is done restaurants or pubs over lunch. The host, the one who extends the invitation, pays the bill.
* A British business associate may invite you to watch cricket or to the regatta. Both are prestigious events. Wear your tweed sport coat or blue blazer.
* An invitation to someone's home is more common in England than in the rest of Europe.
* Do not discuss business at dinner in someone's home unless the host initiates the conversation.
* In England, when invited to someone's home, arrive at least 10-20 minutes after the stated time. Never arrive early. In Scotland and Wales, arrive on time.
* A male guest of honor is seated at the head of the table or to the right of the hostess. A female guest of honor is seated to the right of the host.
* Wait for your host to begin eating before you eat.
* Host or hostess always initiates first toast, which is usually only given at a formal dinner.
* At a formal dinner, do not smoke until after the toast to the Queen or until otherwise indicated by the host.
* Keep your hands on the table at all times during the meal -- not in your lap. However, take care to keep your elbows off the table.
* When finished eating, place knife and fork side by side on the plate at the 5:25 position.
* You should leave a very small amount of food on your plate when finished eating.
* The guest of honor should initiate leaving a party.
* When the host folds his napkin, this signals that the meal is over.
* Leave a dinner party shortly after dinner ends.
* Write a thank you note to the hostess.
* It is considered impolite to ask for a tour of your host's home.
* Entertain anyone who has entertained you, but don't try to impress British guests with an extravagant dinner. The Brits prefer understatement.

Dress

* People in the larger cities dress more formally, especially in London.
* Men and women wear wools and tweeds for casual occasions. Slacks, sweaters and jackets are appropriate for men and women.
* Avoid striped ties that are copies of British regimentals.
* Men's clothing often expresses affiliation rather than style. Ties are important symbols. School, army, university or club ties are worn.
* For business meetings, men should wear dark suits and ties. Women should wear suits, dresses or skirts and blouses.
* Do not wear a blazer to work. A blazer is country or weekend wear.
* For formal events men may wear black ties, business suits, morning coats or tails. Inquire which is required. Women generally wear cocktail suits or dresses.

Gifts

* Gifts are normally not exchanged in business settings.
* When invited to someone's home, always bring a small gift for the hostess. Give flowers, chocolates, wine, champagne or books. Present the gift upon arrival.
* Gifts are opened upon receiving.
* It is polite to send flowers in advance of a dinner party. Do not send white lilies, which denote death.

Helpful Hints

* Men should open doors for women and stand when a woman enters a room.
* Always hold the door for a person following behind you.
* Honor rank when entering a room. Allow higher rank to enter first.
* Don’t insult the royal family or show great interest in their private lives.
* Respect the British desire for privacy. Don’t ask personal questions, such as where a person lives or what a person does for a profession or job. Don’t talk about money.
* Do not violate a queue. It is considered very rude to push ahead in a line.
* Do not shout or be loud in public places and don’t use excessive, demonstrative hand gestures when speaking.
* Staring is considered impolite.
* Do not be too casual, especially with the English language.
* The English avoid speaking in superlatives. "I am quite pleased," means they are extremely happy.
* Never try to sound British or mimic their accent.
* Humor is ever-present in English life. It is often self-deprecating, ribbing, sarcastic, sexist or racist. Try not to take offense.
* In Scotland, kilts are worn by men at formal occasions (i.e., black tie, weddings, etc.). Don’t make jokes about or ask a Scot what he wears under his kilt.
* In Northern Ireland, religion and politics have created conflict in for many years. Avoid these discussing topics if possible.

Especially for Women

* The 'Old Boy Network' is alive and well in the United Kingdom. However, women are becoming more common in managerial positions in the United Kingdom than in most EC countries, especially in service industries and public sector jobs.
* Foreign women will have little difficulty conducting business in Great Britain.
* Don't be insulted if someone calls you love, dearie, or darling. These are commonly used and not considered rude.
* It is acceptable, but may be misconstrued, for a foreign woman to invite an English man to dinner. It is best to stick with lunch.
* If a woman would like to pay for a meal, she should state this at the outset.
* Crossing your legs at the ankles, not at the knees, is proper.

Creative Commons & English Elite Etiquette

2010-01-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

To share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
To remix – to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

Share alike – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Creative Commons has been described as being at the forefront of the copy left movement, which seeks to support the building of a richer public domain by providing an alternative to the automatic "all rights reserved" copyright, dubbed "some rights reserved." David Berry and Giles Moss have credited Creative Commons with generating interest in the issue of intellectual property and contributing to the re-thinking of the role of the "commons" in the "information age". Beyond that, Creative Commons has provided "institutional, practical and legal support for individuals and groups wishing to experiment and communicate with culture more freely."

Creative Commons works to counter what the organization considers to be a dominant and increasingly restrictive permission culture. According to Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons, it is "a culture in which creators get to create only with the permission of the powerful, or of creators from the past". Lessig maintains that modern culture is dominated by traditional content distributors in order to maintain and strengthen their monopolies on cultural products such as popular music and popular cinema, and that Creative Commons can provide alternatives to these restrictions.

Cracked the Merchants in Style?

2010-01-26T01:32:00.000-08:00

The fastest computer could be a mission to elude the so called shoppers paradise in monitoring who buys what, where and when. These people are paid in the form of conducting surveys and are either living off the HI-So promise or deluding the truth behind powerful marketing techniques. What ever the reason we have cracked the market with our very own marketing sound guru who has smacked the market up with a song called citrus on the D&B theme. Music educates us in various powerful ways as citrus delves through the backside of marketing at the top end with a question, 'Is it true?'

Office Bureaucracy Watch!

2010-01-26T00:41:00.000-08:00

There are times of bureaucratic nuisances that our brain, unless modeled for the moment can divert into a phase of insanity causing emotional relapse where panic sets in a need for a sweet cup of tea prevails. The mind soothes our nerves from this emotional attack.

Everyone has different ideas on how to organize a schedule and combat the office overload. English Etiquette Elite believe that their is a method behind office management of huge bureaucratic proportions. Various people deal extraordinarily well with this style of file organization, hence their ability to sift through ideal documents to complete a project. In most cases, bureaucracy falls short of a pain in the rear end. We believe that we could not do without it. Common knowledge describes this office organization as organized (see picture above) and much faster than searching for files of idealism on a search given a clear objective in the first place.

Satisfaction Guaranteed & English Etiquette Elite

2010-01-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

Beat The System

2010-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

There's more resposibilty on trains to get us where we want on time without delay (MMM) Hey I wasn't to blame for the late train arrival a down to geography (don't blame) we made it in one piece and together (so to speak).

The trick here isn't to travel Hi So or travel with high priced trains the spirit is to hit the low costs. The route might differ from the other trains but you'll get there with a state of mind might that will be different from your inital departure emotion and guess what you would have learnt something from the lower experience. I've been there and believe me, cheaper tickets are the way forward , even if you arrive late. The mind will still be ticking away at you for an answer on how the heck your made it without to much bother. Like the use of English in an email you will be feeling a little less etiquette for a while but believe us at the Elite, the platform is there for a new dawn.

Goldeon Virginia

2010-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Now that we have compromised on Emerald Cosmological Phenomena network we will move forward and enlighten your taste buds with our new side kick organization under the name English Etiquette Elite. Our aim is to provide a good honest cut of the truth that good companies been the general public claim to be above the rest on many accounts. It's about Etiquette and the delivery of a good honest image of how a product can enlighten the day. Of course smoking is under the governments health watch but we live once and are born with a negative idea that we are going to die ... I sometimes light up a smoke but never think about its consequences because the person behind me will always push for another answer as to why I can smoke.

Gold Leaf Daze (Words Can't Express)

2010-01-24T10:13:00.001-08:00

Managed to conduct a decent day today with a feww ciders a bedroom cleanup and some strangers music on the mend. Loaded the computer with some tunes and sat back and watched it all unfold. Like been on the dance floor at the height of the moment but sat down on relax mode. Amazing how the oldskool tuneage uplifts the spirits from above to make us high enough to listen in piece. Say what you want I do !!!

English Etiquette Elite - Click Per SIP Program

2010-01-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

English Etiquitte Elite is a Trade Mark organisation for control and motivation with updated business consultation on higher platforms Our network dedicates it time to assist in business solutions through a consultancy. Our mission has taken us to over 55 cities and 22 countries in the past ten years. We now wish to join arms with our favourite drink merchant, the Coka Cola Company to continue of mission for a better world in Globalisation and trust.

Join our Click Per SIP prgram and earm today!!

http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/default.html

English Etiquette Elite & Opera Browser

2010-01-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Strategies from English Etiquette Elite include a new partner, Opera email system embedded deeply into an email system that includes some excellent tool for a secure all-in-one framwork. How can this all make sense i wonder. Think Art!

steppe is an eclectic and inspirational guide to the arts, history, culture and landscape of Central Asia. Printed twice a year, steppe stretches boundaries and looks beyond traditional subjects by showcasing the immense variety Central Asia has to offer - from ancient history to cuting-edge architecture; from majestic landscapes to the region's opulent interiors; from ancient rock drawings to contemporary video art; from historical figures to living legends; plus textiles, music, books, cookery and much, much more.

The trial issue features an article by Josh Abrams showing that its not all ‘bread and circuses’ when the price of wheat rises, Robert Chandler visits the Igor Savitsky Museum and Gael Guichard ventures out onto the ice with fishermen who make their living from the Aral Sea.

Other features include a review of contemporary art from Central Asia by Elena Sorokina, a report on the Desert Treasures in Berlin and Mannheim and Marinika Babanazarova describes the birth of the Uzbek School of Art and Savitsky's passion for collecting its work.

www.home.jonah2011.operaunite.com/

DJ Etiquette

2010-01-23T00:08:00.000-08:00

It's strange how I've always been at some point or other in the media for whatever reason. One exciting career is to become a DJ. Here's some tips for that exciting new DJ career you have been waiting for.

1.Take speech, drama and English courses in high school and college. Make tapes of your speaking voice and ask your speech and drama teachers for their opinion of your vocal projection.
Step

2.Consider working part-time while you are in high school as a mobile disc jockey at parties. Observe experienced mobile DJs and you'll learn what's good vs. what's unprofessional. Find out from them what equipment you need. If you're really good, you can eventually advance to more formal affairs, such as weddings. The experience will be priceless.
Step

3.Ask your guidance counselor for a list of colleges and universities that specialize in broadcasting.
Step

4.Apply to several schools that offer a broadcasting degree with a radio emphasis. Although it's not always necessary for a DJ to have a degree, it will give you a major advantage within the broadcasting industry.
Step

5.Gain experience at your college radio station by doing any work that will teach you about radio broadcasting, a station's equipment and the problems associated with airtime. Offer to be the DJ or radio announcer at the station during unusual hours. Then make a tape of the show and include the experience on your résumé.
Step.

6.Get an internship of any kind at a local radio station while you're in college. It can sometimes lead to a permanent position. Realize that you will most likely be doing office work initially, not talking into a microphone or running the board. But you need this experience.
Step

7.Consult your broadcasting adviser about the availability of entry-level radio jobs through the college.
Step

8.Consider a radio job at a small community station after graduation if the opportunity presents itself. You'll probably begin with an entry-level position to learn the ropes, but your chances of speaking on the air in the near future will be far greater than in a larger market. The large markets want you to have had several years of on-air experience.

Chinese New Year

2010-01-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will range from pigs, to ducks, to chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Guest House Cambodia

2010-01-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

I've posted this from a crazy summer in 2006 when I traveled to cambodia in Asia. It's amazing when you consider the poverty of various provinces how such a nice guest houses could exist. The one night after seeing the sites, the most obvious been anchor wat how spooky the guest house seemed on the night. The lights went out and like a jerk Iwalked up to my room with eyes like a cat, thinking there was something up there, perhaps a ghost. It took some courage to walk to my room but I managed to make it and slept like a baby that night strange thing is the sheets were red as the outback after the previous night on the dusty side roads with a tuk tuk driver. And yes I had a shower before hitting the sack.

Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network®

2010-01-20T02:29:00.000-08:00

World Business Phenomena

In every human there is dormant or active spiritual progression of thirst for betterment. Given the chosen environment of comfort or culture, a dormant educated human insists on what we value as variegation, a diversity of colours for symbolic achievement. Dubious imperfect decisions are futile and disappointing, and there is urgent need for a certainty of business ethnic perfection. The crying need to rise above the level of mediocrity determines ideas of basic principles where decisions often remain dormant for environmental issues far above executive decision makers in world business phenomena. Active customers must approach our active scientific interpretation of the phenomena for universal structures in lucubration.

Emerald Cosmological Phenomena creation in simplicity dictates business recognition in all organisational factors that contribute to refinement, enrichment and above all, efficiency. Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network inherits a pattern or paragon for gravitational perfection for active business solutions of natural omniscient genius and incomparable order. Our strenuous intrepidity embanks on dormant businesses for a phenomena function that dissolves in our mind to enable a transitional ordinance in business strategy. Our universal mythology contributes to argent business solutions that are modeled around the business theme. Our clients frequently require personal statue modeling for personal business motivation that implies a state of harmony or unity in their chosen business enterprise.

Our guidance maintains sophisticated business harmony without over-branding. Universal cultures strive to reform business platforms into successful, external enterprises from where idealism touches delusional romanticism onto a working platform Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network has an immaculate record in securing and monitoring business platforms for enterprise conduct, throwing inspirational belief into all projects.

I mentioned earlier about active and dormant business projects where the belief becomes a delusion often been the cause of de-motivation. Management systems tend to be regarded as information technology based but it does not have to be this way. Many small traditional businesses have still to embrace technology. Our services are highly recommended as a speech is mightier than a shot or a sword; a single approach has great effect when a once lonesome entrepreneur enters the external fellowship of recent successors to solve generations of business losses of wealth. Our message simplifies destines of such business losses by offering the chance to regain procession of our beloved assets and cultures for the benefits of our countries. Emerald Cosmological Phenomena Network possesses a subtle, strong and sure might the crude cannot endure.

metaphysics controls many aspects of today’s programs that often adopt styles, trends and performances from other existing achievers, we offer individual authenticity from our power chain management program, originally created from Asian cultural beliefs, themes and meanings. A mission has possibilities when a custom isn’t tarnished or unscathed through misuse. It is imperative that managers are able to retrieve information efficiently for the so mentioned business transition into the new world. Join our dynamic team of unquestionable business reliance in capturing that authentic business belief

Mr. Stephen Peter Jones

www.ecpn.co.uk/home.htm

Contact 07592067703

Head Art

2010-01-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

This picture does not represent a sign of aggression more an art form to describe emotions on a particular day. The picture represents an emotion and a feeling of need for security which included a special friend. Together my friend and I were a unit of awareness almost without a spoken word. This awareness was a higher state of consciousness. Silence would be followed by laughter. In short words we were together. The haircut represents a free spirit, intact of awareness of my environment. The Chinese symbols are included in the post below.

English Ettiquite Elite Merchant

2010-01-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

English Ettiquite Elite

Business Solutions with English Ettiquite Elite Network throws freedom of trust that once shadowed marketers with mistrust and doubt that covered a whole spectrum of businesses worldwide. Our mind solutions of network merchants and members control markets worldwide. The economy had interpreted rights to a transient market that lead business owners to become less dominant and later joining the recession.

To know weak you must first know weakness and to be strong you must first understand strength. When the above is understood the whole area of procedure is to grow from strength to strength. A closer evidential word for this is class as Rune.

‘You have the power to face anything that might cross your path’

Fear nothing for you have the authority to claim your destiny. Let no one deter you as you reach out for the truth. Hold fast to your birthright, be a spiritual being, but always remember to keep your feet firmly on the ground. Spirituality brings power and it is up to you to use it in an unselfish and loving way. Power can corrupt if you do not have a true and honest heart. A master of trades in an authorities manor from the heart shows that you have mastered the ego. English Ettiquite Elite Network is here to stay and we WILL help you encounter challenges as we enter the stage together for success.

‘This is not a system so remain resourceful and remain focused on solutions for our future. Focus your thoughts to attract the energy needed to make your dream a reality.’

For the initial launch of English Ettiquite Network there are basics needs to allocate is at conference level. At this level of communication our members will need various programs allocated at abode online experience. There is no need to download software or create large amounts paperwork. We can talk online from where our team will make phone calls to members in the terms of a help line. Here are the links for joining our team at English Ettiquite Elite.

These can be downloaded on a 30 trial. It is not necessary to pay at this point and our lines are open fro a chat at anytime just dial the number issued at the footer of the Network information page.

As our affiliate list grows and our business team grows and the network environment becomes more balanced. We are love, Passion and Pride (LPP). We mind businesses in our Network and provide a safe and secure service. Your social business calculates a time in your life when you are asking for approval or a standard of a new balance. Other networked sources choose us as the supplier of information or business solutions. Our frame has strength without boundaries and moves forward as we break the sound barrier.

Join our team of marketers today. There is no signup fee or charge for the first 100 affiliates. Think about smart business solutions for an improved outlook in future marketing, a business structure and motivational environment on a platform of trusted members. The first step is simple send a text message to the number below with name and email address. Our team will send a verification email for the first stage to signing up for our Network. We expect nothing other than a text and a heart of gold.

God Bless

Membership Hotline +44 (0) 7592067703

Mr. Stephen Peter Jones

Direct & InDirect World of English

2010-01-06T03:15:00.000-08:00

English is a subtle language spoken with various tones created to communicate in balanced meaningful way. There are methods when English languages sound Direct or Indirect. For example English Citizens choose a direct meaningful word for a direct answer. If the question is meaningful and spoken from the heart the conclusion is an honest reply. Direct speech spoken with a louder voice tends to sound off balanced and sometimes rude. English citizens should be excused for this direct method with words that control an event or time of need, in slang otherwise known as ‘get the job done.’

English has been used for decades as an international language to nurture and improve our countries communication and education. Direct & Indirect speech is opposite and for should be controlled accordingly. There are higher methods of learning such techniques for business. These methods are difficult to understand but when organized correctly, the speaker becomes communicative from all angles. In context even serious teachers have problems teaching these methodical speech therapies.

Grammar contains thousands of rules designed to teach the bios of the language. Answers to learning English is simple, be conscious of how the language makes you feel when spoken and remember to never forget teacher’s reason for the lesson. Each lesson should have a headline and the conclusion should express how the grammar and words assisted you in learning. How did you feel about your teacher at the end of the lesson?

Once again in context words come easier for some when nothing is said at all. A genture is a great annoucement of a body language for all to learn and in our terms is not owned unless a new law of divisions announces that the gestures used are un-callled for. Even negative gestures cancel positive gestures out for the cause of ease.

2010-01-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

Asser was a Welsh monk from St. David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. In about 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St. David's and join the circle of learned men which Alfred was recruiting for his court. After spending a year at Caerwent due to an illness, he accepted. In 893 Asser wrote a biography of Alfred, called the Life of King Alfred. The manuscript survived to modern times in only one copy, which was part of the Cotton library. That copy was destroyed in a fire in 1731, but transcriptions that had been made earlier, allied with material from Asser's work that was included by other early writers, have enabled the work to be reconstructed.

The biography is now the main source of information about Alfred's life, and provides far more information about Alfred than is known about any other early English ruler. Asser also assisted Alfred in his translation of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, and possibly with other works.Asser is sometimes cited as a source for the legend of Alfred having founded the University of Oxford, which is now known to be false. A short passage making this claim was interpolated by William Camden into his 1603 edition of Asser's Life. Doubts have also been raised periodically about whether the entire Life is a forgery, written by a slightly later writer, but it is now almost universally accepted as genuine.

World Teachers &

2009-12-30T05:04:00.000-08:00

Are you a Teacher?

World Teachers like you and me are at risk when our private information is easily accessible from Internet.

To remove your personal information from public data sources, you have to understand there are many ways that your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, neighborhood info are ended up online.

There are several steps you need to follow in order to protect and remove your personal information from public sources - a sense of information security is essential.

Education Etiquette Elite

2009-12-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

Universal Education standards for future education combines natural instinct, resource elimination, Improved lecture techniques and an abundance of natural learning processes to overcome the hurdles of societies education barriers. Education Etiquette Group unfolds education in individual procedures to intervene then counteract and remove the mentioned education barriers for our clients. These removed barriers lead our clients through a maze that never expects reward from a client’s achievement.Thousands of education departments exist within our world, all searching for true leaders. Questions of doubt have arisen on the capability of thousands of universities. It is impossible to teach at a level that provides world class business farness unless the whole system is finalised and governed by an improved education department of universal importance.

I have educated students and contributed business etiquette that should assist students in their chosen careers. The progression goes on between students, universities and later businesses as to where our next generation of business entrepreneurs will be sourced from. I have witnessed the works of students who are quietly spoken, controlled, understanding and most of all respectful on levels required as the movement towards globalisation continues.

View my profile

Create your own travel map or travel blog

Find cheap flights at TripAdvisor

2009-11-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

Travel and Teach Around the World

2009-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

At school we learn from text books, teachers, presentations, lecturers, headmasters or head mistresses. There are thousands of important lessons at school that we remember for own use as we reach maturity and begin to make important decisions for ourselves in society. Education is driven into our children from an early age and now more and more students choose higher education in search of a career. Eventually students graduate from universities, colleges and private schools. Many students choose to use a gap year in between studies to travel which for me is where life really begins.

Travelling and Teaching around the world provides vast opportunities to meet new people, enjoy diverse cultures and learn languages from places afar. I have travelled extensively over the years with some wonderful memories. I have learnt more from cultures than any given subject at school although Geography was my strength. The lessons I learnt at school are important but until I left school to contribute to society, utilise the information and put my new knowledge into good practice I felt useless. What’s the point in studying for many years and not been able to choose the career you desire?

Travelling and teaching in foreign countries welcomes new friends from different countries. As a school teacher working with foreign teachers I notice how teachers from abroad manage their lessons, making each valuable lesson work for the children. For me, this is what life is all about, learning from others and teaching without embarrassing others or hurting a person’s feelings? The same valuable lesson learnt whilst teaching in Thailand where loosing face in society brings extensive humiliation to a person. As teachers, we must learn more about our neighbours, our countries and our world to educate our children for a more peaceful world of mixed cultures.

I have travelled to 55 cities and 18 countries in eight years which has enlightened me with a new found knowledge that has opened doors to life’s hidden wonders. When you have been too countless countries you realise our world is actually a lot smaller than we think. My Travel has included occasional negative memories and scary realisations but overall the past eight years in education and travel have been a working adventure. I honestly recommend students to learn more about other cultures in preparation for their own careers. It's a great tool for business.

People grow old and never forget their teachers from school. A good teacher will always be embedded in the memory of a child. As a teacher’s favourite child remains in the archives of their memory. I have lots of favourite students and never forget their beautiful smiles, cheerful expressions, delightful personalities and characters.

children have a great natural talent at teaching adults. My students have completed project work in Asia that has simply amazed me. An indcredible amount of enjoyment in there studies
reflected on their projects. I have shared a couple of projects from the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/EnglishTeacher.TEFL.2010

Stephen Peter Jones

Poverty in Society - Bangladesh

2009-05-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Walking over the bridge I have noticed several beggars and thought nothing more than walking past. People tell me, giving to them only attracts others to yourself and the area. Today was different; I stopped and gave some money then carried on with my day. Something had changed today because after I met up with two young ladies in a Bangladesh coffee shop, one from Bangladesh, a Muslim and the other from china, a Christian. We talked about helping people and asked me to go to church with them the following Friday. We talked about the circumstances of been poor in a poor country and how seeing poverty effects us as human beings wanting to help, looking for answers to help these poverty torn countries and their people. I spoke of other countries, what I had seen and the effects it had on me as a person. I explained that eventually on my return to the United Kingdom I had many terrible memories of terrible poverty. I have become accustomed to seeing such sites but now wish to explain how as people who care can help these poor people around the world.

Here in Bangladesh I have met some wonderful people that do understand the problem and find that special part in their heart to help. This is my first time mentioning such poverty and would like offer you information on how you can help here in Bangladesh and the rest of the world. You simply can’t imagine how difficult it is to survive under such difficult conditions which for most has become a competitive environment, even for the poor fighting for a status in society in what little work and money they have. Many don’t even have a family. The terrible stories of self mutilation to become beggars fighting to provide for families are simply shocking. Other stories exist but I wish not to mention about them for my own safety.

I have been in an Asian country without money under difficult circumstances and knew at one point I would need help in finding a meal. The first day when I ran out of money through unemployment I was offered a meal by an English teacher who had travelled from South Korea on holiday. I was also offered a job in South Korea. I was lucky having understandable parents that could supply me with the air fare to my next destination another eye opener on other accounts. For some simply having a passport protects us against such problems but for those who will never leave their country you can imagine how simple and difficult their lives have become, there is no escape.

I have learnt a lot today that giving a little can bring huge rewards in a natural achievement in helping someone and takes less than one minute. Knowing you have helped someone eat, drink or supply medication for sickness has a great sense of satisfaction. Some are natural givers, some give occasionally, I gave today because something had changed and helped me realise I can help too. Please check out this website for more information on how you can help, what others are doing to help and the reason why there is a huge demand for people who care. You can help and learn more about the cause by understanding about poverty around the world.

http://www.carebd.org/

Pahela Baishakh or Bangla New Year

2009-05-08T03:34:00.000-07:00

Bangladeshi new Year is an exciting occasion at the school when students sing songs, wear beautifully coloured cultural clothing and eat lots of tasty Bangla food. I haven't eaten so much for years and it's such a vibrant celebration.

WE celebrate Pahela Baishakh or the Bangla New Year's Day today. Everything under the sun looks gay and cheerful and colourful, one is suddenly struck by the beauty of the grass, the sky, the trees - each and everything around looks pretty and radiates joy and happiness. It seems that the tired and weary sun of 1405 that set last evening carried along with it all the gloom, all the sorrows, all the melancholy and misery. Nothing that is painful or dull or dreary is left for 1406, and the sun rising with a new spirit and vigour this morning, rises in its full glory, radiating nothing gloomy, nothing sad, nothing pensive but only hope and happiness for the days to come.
Pahela Baishakh is indeed a momentous occasion in the life of each and every Bengalee. It is the first day of Bangla calendar year.

To every Bengalee, young and old, rich and poor, wise and ignorant, it is a time of gaiety to be celebrated with great merry-making, to be enjoyed in every possible manner, an occasion which enables us, in the words of Tennyson, to drink life to the lees.' It is a cruel irony of fate that a few orthodox Muslims in our country, shrouded by sheer ignorance, look down upon this Nababarsha festival, simply because they inadvertently consider it to be a festival of non-Muslim origin. But there is no shadow of doubt that the Bangla calendar that we follow today was introduced by the Muslims in this sub-continent.

The Pahela Baishakh so warmly celebrated all over the country today originated not from Bangladesh, but from an entirely different part of this sub-continent more than thousand miles away. What is more, the Bangla Saal was introduced not by any Bangladeshi but by a non-Bengalee in whose grandfather's vein flowed the blood of both Gengis Khan and Tamerlane.

Starz Angels

2009-01-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

Here's another personal favourite of mine whilst travelling Singapore. Starz Angels, two DJ's from Paris highlighted the New Years Eve Sentosa Beach Party, with over 50 thousand people covering the beach, massive screens,a stage with live performances and plenty of beer tents. This place was full to the brim with people from all over the world. there were several foam parties letting out over a million gallons of foam, just like the famous foam parties on Ibiza. The stage was massive with more room than they needed but the Starz Angels covered the whole stage in between mixing electro from all the music spectrum. I hadn't heard of these two guys until I went to Sentosa but became hooked after they lifted the whole crowd with their style.

I think most would agree they were the highlight of the evening at Sentosa. Anyway i didn't realise they had worked with quite a few famous music artists and when reaching their website I noticed the albums or mixes they had covered, pretty impressive. I also noticed they didn't have that many fans in their facebook profile but that's gonns change if they keep up that kind of style. I spent most of the last hour in front of the sound engineers who cranked the sound up to a mind bending volume at the end of the evening. I haven't heard volume like that since the old rave venues in the United Kingdom back in the 1991. Even teachers have fun you know.

School Projects with Wonderful Memories

2009-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

A curriculum can be more rewarding when projects are created for the students to go out and find answers, become more creative and venture into social studies. I worked on a major project in Thailand where students were asked to create an environmentally model, friendly city with new rules. Almost like Singapore was created over the years the students had to create a clean, safe city for the citizens to live in. The cities had to be named and built using materials from home and around the school. Classes in the school were separated in two sections in each year, an A class for the stronger students and a B class for other students. This worked really well with my students as they were always aware they needed to achieve higher grades to be promoted into the higher class. The project was a true reflection of how the students in each class could achieve.

Materials were collect over a few weeks and the students began their assignment to build a new city. Groups were formed for the project and a time limit was announced on the first day of the project. I allowed the students around three weeks to complete the course. I learnt over the weeks that a project needs to have a carefully considered time scale otherwise the students begin to lose interest. The time scale was a little long but I wanted to get some good photography in for the principal to use on open days for parents to view the conclusion. I managed to take hundreds of photographs that reflected the student’s feelings during the project. The photographs will be available on this blog when I get the gallery up and running.

The students from the lower B class seemed confused at times and the groups argued about who was to be group captain. I chose group captains from the beginning but some students said the captains weren’t assigning them to do group activities needed to build the city. Some students in Group B became upset with occasional tears. It became obvious that the upset students were upset and the high achievements from the higher class A. If I had to implement the project again students would be mixed from both classes to give the project a more balanced theme.

The final outcome of the project however was not far from amazing and the school principal was delighted with the model cities on display in the schools corridors. Parents were allowed to view the projects and leave comments. Each model city had a neatly written set of rules implemented on the cities finalisation. The rules were to reflect on how the city was to be run, who was in charge and how the cities people were to live. The girls constructed an incredible city with rules that demonstrated how a real modern city is controlled and run today. The building scales were accurate and roads had painted lines for traffic separation. Hospitals were constructed with clean and tidy playgrounds. Some groups were mixed with both boys and girls working together but several groups were of the same sex. Girls were more accurate but boys had more variation within the city, more buildings, and better improved rules. The winner of the project went to an all girl group from class A, who had demonstrated the project’s outlines with perfection.

The environmental project was a treasured memory in my teaching days in Thailand and I miss the students dearly. I had taught some of the students for four years because parents wanted me to follow them up a grade each year. From grade three I moved up to grade four bilingual, then to grade five and eventually grade six. The two years I taught grade three were also treasured moments with a fantastic Thai teacher assistant who loved the children so much. The assistant was a good friend who warmed to the children in beautiful way.

Students in the lower class, grade 5 one day became upset with their position in the lower class and complained they felt inferior to the higher class A. They were unusually quiet when I walked into the room and I wondered why. I explained to the students that they were capable of achieving higher grades even when in a lower class. The students complained that they had never been told they were doing well at school. My speech to them was warm and affectionate. I asked the students to think back about other projects about the Greek empire, the Egyptian pyramids and the Aztecs and Inkers and how well they had answered comprehensive questions. Some of the students were almost in tears but from that day on they began to achieve higher grades in some cases higher than the A class. The higher A class were also aware of this and began to over achieve making the whole year a race to improve for promotion the following year.

It was a wonderful year that ended with a student thanking me at the school gates for helping him become the second highest grade winner in the class. I remember the student very well; he invited me to stay at his father’s beautiful hotel on the island Koh Phi Phi. The parents often expected too much from the students but never once bothered me during parent’s evenings about their grades or position in class. The parents trusted me to help the students gain confidence and motivation in the English language. The funny thing about the parents was that their children spoke much better English than they did by the time they had reached grade six.

Teach in Asia

2009-01-20T03:31:00.000-08:00

Education in Asia as improved over the past five years with the Ministries of Education implementing new requirements to be able to teach in certain countries. Most improvements recommend teachers to search for higher qualifications in their chosen field to be able to offer a better experience for students. Some schools in Thailand require a degree and teaching certificates to become a teacher although some offer employment without. An ongoing project in Thailand, the Nonthaburi project offers positions without degrees. It’s interesting to find the project also offers work in bar jobs for foreigners without a degree.

The TEFL certificate isn’t necessary but gives new teachers an understanding of how to overcome learning problems with Asian students. Remember many Asian countries have a tonal sound to their speech and must be overcome with English phonics allowing the students to learn new sounds and phrases from the western English speaking countries. I was able to concentrate on teaching large classes at a government school after completing my TEFL course, thanks to the TEFL course I had taken a few weeks previous to the job placement. The TEFL course gave me motivation to teach in a business and school environment something I wasn’t motivated to do before taking the qualification. There are occasions when new teachers are natural at teaching and don’t require extra qualifications. Remember a teacher continues to learn from his/her experiences even if they have the BA in education. Most of my teaching skills come from teaching primary and business English. Teacher’s resource books offer great guidance on constructing a lesson plan and from these books I continue to collate new information for interesting, understandable lessons.

There are certain requirements to become a teacher in Thailand to enable the teacher to obtain a work permit. This is becoming more familiar in most Asian countries. The first step towards teaching is to apply for a Category B multiple re-entry permit which lasts for one year, this will allow the school or business enough time to process your work permit. The procedure normally takes around five weeks. A two month tourist visa in most cases covers enough time for a visa upgrade to a Category B multiple re-entry visa. The multiple re-entry visas allow the holder to leave the country and enter again for another two or three months depending on the visa requirements. It’s important to check from the country’s consulate website for changes to visas just encase you’re not aware of such changes effecting your travel or employment application.

If travelling by land in Thailand you’ll only obtain fifteen days instead of the original thirty days. If you fly into the country the thirty days still stands. These alterations to a visa can be damaging to your plans if you’re not updated with the information on time. The easiest way to avoid such changes to a visa is to apply for your sixty or ninety day tourist visa at a neighbouring country or your country of residence. The new visa requirement is sure to affect people without work permits. It’s either another way for the consulate to obtain extra revenue or to rid Thailand of the uneducated teachers. I’m surprised at this requirement which alternatively could have been handled better with authorities entering schools and asking for teachers work permits.

With your Category B multiple re-entry visa, your work permit and your certified documents in place you’ll now have to concentrate on taking a cultural awareness course. This course is applied for at the school you choose to work for by the school principal. The ministry of education implemented this law quite recently but it hasn’t stopped teachers from applying for employment, rather made them even more paranoid about the possibilities of becoming a teacher. When I was teaching in Thailand this course was available but wasn’t compulsory. It doesn’t bother me either as I know I’m already culturally aware of the need to respect others, speak their language and adapt to a culture. As mentioned on other posts, learning the language improves communication between other teachers and the countries citizens.

I’ve spent time reading other teaching websites and notice how none educated teachers in Thailand seem to get a better deal as they don’t have to concentrate on major improvements to their positions as teachers. Little is asked of them other than teaching basic grammar, phonics and conversation classes. The golden rule to remember in these cases is, if your students like you as a person and you have ‘jai yen’ a good heart or cool heart translated directly, your position is safe from the grasps of unemployment. I have maintained great communication with parents and students, something that has helped me concentrate on teaching throughout my teaching career.

Remember there are a million rules out there for working abroad, until you venture out and talk to people, read a countries visa requirements, learn from other expatriates employed overseas and make that all important move to your chosen destination you’ll never fully understand what it takes to become a successful candidate for employment. This is a small contradiction but there are some businesses that employ from overseas thus allowing the candidate to be interviewed over the phone as I was several months ago. This isn’t unusual for international schools as they require educated teachers in education to be considered for a position. I had several telephone interviews highlighting my previous experience as a teacher overseas.I’ve been teaching for almost six years and spent most of the last eight years abroad so it was easy for the director to make a decision. The contract looked great, the living conditions seemed perfect and the salary bettered most in education. Previous employment in Thailand meant been in the country and been available for interview the next day and apart from my last position in Thailand the salary offered wasn’t acceptable to live a decent life far from home.

The teaching circuit in Thailand tends to be dominated with the male teachers at hand, this is why a female foreign teacher can ask for a better salary and improved living conditions. It’s not unusual to see foreign female teachers there just outnumbered by the male. Kindergarten schools tend to hire female teachers, the reason why there are so many positions available in Thailand. Female teachers of science can also expect a better deal due to a shortage of science teachers in the country.

The Practicalities of Working and Living Abroad

2009-01-15T02:43:00.000-08:00

Travelling has made working abroad much easier through gaining knowledge of countries, people and their cultures. Without this knowledge it’s hard to imagine how we can begin to understand people from other countries. The experience I have gained over the past eight years has become a valuable resource for employment and has helped me maintain an interesting life away from my home country. Been away from home for many years does have an effect on your relationship with family and friends in some ways and must be approached carefully in the hope not to become to detached to the people you respect most. I have concentrated on various changes within my life over the years, something working abroad has assisted me with. I have been a home owner in the United Kingdom and also rented houses so I’ve been down the property avenue of life. Living abroad is different in the way that I won’t own a property or have a long term lease. Some countries such as Thailand allow long term leases but don’t allow foreigners to own land although the materials the home is built with are owned by the buyer, in many cases foreigners. I considered living in Thailand for many years but due to the visa regulations and new laws this was made almost impossible.

It’s important to have friends when working abroad, people you can talk with and trust to help you out with various situations that might arise. I once made the mistake of been lonely for a long time when working in Thailand mostly my own fault. I guess sometimes we become detached from people without realising and spend too much time alone. The situation grew worse for me as time went by and I soon realised I must venture out more, do some site seeing, holidays and nights out with new friends. As a teacher there are various ways you can meet people especially when teaching in South East Asia. There are hundreds of teachers in the same situation looking for new friends on internet forums and on local websites. There are lots of teaching forums in South East Asia that have membership for posters. There are organised nights out for expatriates on a regular basis that might interest expatriates. I’ve recently returned from Singapore where there is a large expatriate community all looking for people to hook with on a weekend. The internet can be a safe place when used correctly. The things I look for before meeting people from the internet when travelling and working is the amount of posts they have in the forums and their status as a member. The best thing about the Singapore Expatriate community is that people tend to meet in groups so you are never alone with one person. The groups have leaders and their names are well known in the community. These are just a few points that should make meeting people a safer more rewarding experience.

Learning a language is the easiest route to success abroad where communication improves enough to be placed above most of your competitors when attending a walk in interview. Been able to communicate in the country you live in will allow you to meet more people, become a member of more clubs, help you make new friends and most of all save you money when purchasing expensive items. I’ve learnt enough to be able to communicate a little. I’m living and teaching in Bangladesh, a new adventure for a couple of years where I must learn some local phrases and terms to improve my life here. Bangladesh’s seem to enjoy communicating with foreigners that can speak their language. At most they are quite well educated, many returning from America, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada where they have been studying for many years. Of course there is the poor side of Bangladesh, a serious problem that the new government promise to improve. I guess like most big cities the amount of people living in a small area just doesn’t improve matters.

Living and working abroad requires a lot of paperwork such as visas, work permits, health documents, tax numbers, in some countries regular three month consulate visits to check addresses, for teachers some countries require a culture course for licence to teach, a TEFL certificate for teachers, the BA degree for teaching in most countries, vaccinations and passport. Thailand now has a criminal record check up for travellers and expatriates wishing to work there. I remember thinking to myself when I started teaching in Thailand if the incident with the police when arrested for been a little loud and intoxicated after a nightclub would block my employment plans but nothing was checked. It’s ridiculous to imagine these small issues can effect employment but apparently in some cases they do. South East Asia seems to attract the more serious criminals for some reason. Thailand’s problem with serious sex offenders still seems to headline the newspapers from time to time. It’s not an attempt to make you paranoid it’s just a warning if you wish to work overseas to be aware of your past criminal record and the possibilities of been refused.

Singapore

2009-01-14T03:11:00.000-08:00

Visa regulations are quite tough for Bangladesh especially when applying from the United Kingdom the exact reason I originally entered the country on a tourist visa until a work permit was applied for a an upgrade to a business visa. I ran out of time with the tourist visa so booked a flight to Singapore to meet the directors of my school, apply for a business visa and to do some site seeing. The visa took one morning and I picked it up in the afternoon. I couldn't believe how easy the application was this time around. With that done I had a round three weeks to play with so I did the tourist thing and took lots of photographs and spent time talking with other teachers and travellers from around the world.

New Years Eve was a blast with 80.000 people enjoying a party on Sentosa Island with live DJ's and acts. I managed to meet the nights DJ's just by look at the end of the evening walking up the beach and took some photographs together. It was a great night apart from the drinks been expensive and the amount of people waiting to get served. Three weeks in Singapore in enough for anyone unless your adapted to the weekend lifestyle. I think Singaporeans work very hard and often late in the evenings, although they can party quite hard. I went to Clarke Quay which hosts a whole array of bars, restaurants and night clubs under one huge umbrella. It's a trendy place with fountains in the centre of the courtyard.

Singapore is the cleanest and safest city in South East Asia, something that real reflects the place when you arrive. There isn't much to do once the tourist attractions have been completed apart from hit the bars which are open until the early hours of the morning in Clarke Quay. I enjoyed my vacation there but wouldn't take a three week break there again. It's much better to spend a few days in Singapore and move through Malaysia and into Thailand. It's a cheaper alternative avoiding the big city tax. Thailand and Malaysia are much cheaper and seem to be catching up in terms of cleanliness.

Bangladesh

2009-01-14T03:07:00.000-08:00

The United Kingdom can be a wonderful place if you have the financial resources to be able to maintain an interesting eventful life. One year back home in England made me realise why I'd departed for Asia in the first place. Employment wasn't easy and salaries were not far from the national Minimum wage. I'm not saying I dislike my country but find it hard to believe things can be as difficult as they were. I was however eventually employed and earning and average income and saving money for another trip abroad but it felt like eternity as my bank balance fluctuated from almost nothing to a little.

It was time for a change, so I decided to update my resume and upload some new photographs to my portfolio. Searching the internet I found a few interesting TEFL sites that had facilities for uploading resumes. With my resume completed I uploaded it and waited for a few days. In truth I didn't expect many replies but was overwhelmed with emails from South Korea, China, Vietnam and India. I didn't expect such a positive reply so soon even though I have lots of teaching experience in Asia. I read through most of the emails but nothing seemed temping enough to leave my job in England until one Saturday afternoon I received a call from Bangladesh. It was lunch time and I was in the pub waiting for the football to begin. The first call was a call of introduction and several calls followed until I agreed to an offer to work in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh isn't the easiest place to live and it takes time to adapt to the culture but when settled it can be a rewarding place to live. With a decent salary and comfortable accommodation it's possible to save most of your salary. I have the internet installed in my apartment with cable television and a cleaner. I'm lucky to have my accommodation paid for with just utilities to pay. Bangladesh people are polite and seem to have little problem with westerners staying here. The weather here is cool during December and January almost like a British October. Bangladesh cuisine can be slightly unhealthy although cooked in style tends to be tasty and very filling indeed. I’ve been in Bangladesh for almost three months with a three week trip to Singapore.

The Four Noble Truths (Buddism)

2009-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

1. Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

Cambodia & Laos

2009-01-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

It was at this period of time of decided to continue my travels to the Koh Mak, Koh Chang, Trat and into Cambodia for a couple of weeks. It was here I learnt one important rule when travelling. Don’t always depend on visa cards to cover your travel costs. I had travelled to , the capital Phenom Phen Cambodia where I visited the famous Ankor Wat and lot’s more temples in Siam Reap where I eventually landed on the border of Laos in a guest house. I was unable to pay my guest house bill and ended up in a full scale argument about how I should pay as they didn’t except visa cards and I’d ran out of cash until I could get to a money changer kiosk. After a full scale argument that almost blew out of all proportion with a coach driver several policemen, the guest house manager and myself all in a circle in the middle of the road waiting for a fight. This was something that will never leave my mind when I dropped my bag thinking they were going to start on me. This craziness would have seen me in hospital. The guest house manager was able to trust me travelling back into Phenom Phen , only if I left my expensive digital camera with him at the guest house. I agreed to this compromise and returned to the city in a free taxi with six other travellers sat in the car. I was sat in between the gear stick and the front seat passenger and the driver. The whole journey took half the time the bus had taken on the way there and in some ways really freaked me out with worry. We travelled along a new route which was a recently completed new road, so you can imagine how fast the journey took with no other means other than getting all six people back into the city as fast as possible. We arrived at the city; I changed some money from my visa, booked into a guest house for the evening and slept. The morning after I did the tourist thing around the temples and finally returned to pay the guest house manager up on the Laos border. My camera was returned and apologised for the inconvenience.

The journey into Laos was amazing as I managed to get off the tourist track and walked along the Mekong River in search of a boat. I managed to find a local barge and hitched a lift into a small village where I was able to continue in a four wheel drive vehicle laid on at the port of entry. The Mekong is amazing experience meeting the locals on the boat. I remember the one old man having a whole set of gold teeth. I didn’t ask him where I he obtained the gold but I remember reading gold was once a major mineral resource of Cambodia. I laughed at the forty eight inch television at the back of the boat and wondered where it was heading.

Laos was a wonderful experience although there wasn’t much to see until reaching Veng Vienne, a small town in the foothills of the Laos Mountains. There was a beautiful river flowing through the town where travellers partied and swam throughout the day with loud music and plenty of beer flowing. I spent Christmas in Laos which was incredible sat by the fire in a bar listening to Christmas songs throughout the night. The guest house was clean cheap and had lots of facilities such as television, pool table and a bar. The manager was a young British guy who had decided to stay on for a few years to work there. On Christmas day I purchased a Christmas meal ticket for around ten dollars and had a great party with lots of other travellers. I was now coming towards the end of my trip which took back through Thailand to Bangkok and eventually home to the United Kingdom.

South Korea

2009-01-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

South Korea

I had two options at this point, one was to take up a position as a teacher at an Australian Phonics school and the other was to take up a position in South Korea. I had already attended an interview at the Australian school which went really well and they offered me the job although the money wasn’t great the business seemed stable and could have lead to better things as I was asked to run one branch of several schools they had in Thailand. The problem here was I’d already booked a flight to Korea which was paid for by the school.

Korea was a clean, well organised country but the school I worked for didn’t turn out to be an honest outfit after holding back some of my salary on the second month. This worried me been so far from home and in need of cash. The manager of the school was a decent guy who took me out almost every night to a local bar and restaurant but he seemed to have his hands in other business ventures away from the school that distracted him from doing a proper job. It concerned me but I was happy to give it a couple of months until I had the problem with retrieving my salary. I had to contact the police in the end but they couldn’t do much as the school principal was absent on the day we went around to talk to him. It was all too late and knowing I had money in the bank in Thailand didn’t hesitate to book a flight back to Bangkok.

Working and Living in Asia

2009-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

On my return from an 18 month travel holiday trip through Australia, Thailand and Vietnam I had decided Asia suited my lifestyle and contacted several training centres in Thailand to take my TEFL certificate and become an English Teacher in Thailand. I eventually returned from Asia to the United Kingdom and found employment for around five months, enough to save for the TEFL course I had chosen with Text and Talk academy, Thailand. The course was something I needed to gain confidence to teach.

The teacher trainer for our particular course was called Carmeta, from Canada who became a good friend with a great attitude to training new teachers. I remember the first few days of training when she taught us Japanese in order for her to help us understand how easy learning a language can be. She had chosen Japanese after working in Japan for several years. Carmeta’s method worked and we soon began to understand how to learn again after so many years out of college, University and school. It was now time to illicit information from students in order for them to learn English. The whole experience was exciting and secured all teachers on the TEFL course employment after the course.

After the course I secured several teaching positions within the school teaching on Saturdays and soon became familiar with the needs of Asian students in an English teaching environment. I eventually secured several more positions teaching business English in Bangkok, something I really enjoyed. Teaching business in and around Bangkok was rewarding and looks great on a resume. I worked for a television production company, a graphic design, re-touching advertising company and a travel software company. The management always took care of my lunch and often invited me out for dinner and social gatherings. I became very familiar with the requirements and problems businesses were facing and later went on the teaching business letter writing and application form completion. I remember on one occasion I was asked to retrieve exhibition fees from a French company with success. Teaching in Asia is rewarding and your student’s often become friends especially when teaching business English. It was at that time still working for an Agency and found it difficult to finance the travel in between each job and eventually decided I needed something more secure with less travel. I sometimes wonder where I’d be today if I had continued teaching Business English but even though I loved it, I couldn’t afford to continue. Maybe I should have taught private business English.

I was soon offered a full-time position at Saint Francis Xavier, a Catholic school in Thailand’s second largest city, Nontanburi. I moved near the school into a condominium that overlooked a huge lake. My condominium, a one bedroom with separate kitchen, bathroom and living room only cost around seven thousand baht. With Internet installed, electric, water and council funds, the whole package cost around thirteen thousand baht. Living and teaching in Thailand can be financially rewarding if you can live and eat where the Thai’s do. I was paid around fifty five thousand baht at Saint Francis Xavier and was able to live a good life for the four years I was employed there. It all sounds a little lonely at this point doesn’t it? To be honest during my first few months teaching in Thailand I was very busy and had no time to socialise but later that year I began dating a Thai girl who I stayed with for three years until it was time for me to depart. Sometimes overseas relationships work, sometimes they don’t like any I guess, mine didn’t but I was happy to see her grow into something really special after working for the USA embassy and later moving overseas, something she had always wished to do. At the time of leaving Thailand I had spent almost five years in the country and decided to leave during holiday time when I was able to obtain my holiday pay of one month plus the end of the month salary.

Most importantly I must mention that Thailand is a none confrontational country and I have never witnessed assaults or crime of any nature. The local paper, The Bangkok post covers stories of crime but if you remain calm and become familiar with Thai culture you’ll soon understand where to go, what to say and how to keep out of trouble.

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore and Australia

2008-12-13T02:39:00.000-08:00

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore and Australia

Who would have imagined after eight years of travel I could arrange an informative piece of text for viewers around the world. It's been a huge eventful time with huge amounts of travel, work and play to come close to becoming a writer on the internet. The past eight years have been congested with loss of camera equipment a downward spiral to Internet marketing and several websites designed and taken down through a huge misunderstanding on how difficult working abroad and the internet can be.

My writing begins in a huge factory in the centre of England otherwise known as the West Midlands where a job had tied me down for over eight years. Each and every day my dream of becoming something different exploded within my thoughts. Each day I would turn to another employee and threaten to leave for pastures green. One day I organised my journey and described to the manager how I felt the need to travel and see other countries. I resigned from my job with a slight clause that if I wanted to return after five weeks of travel I could continue employment with the company commonly known as Eaton.

At that particular time I was in relationship of almost four years, a relationship that in the minds of friends and family would never cease. With travel on my mind and know compromise with my girlfriend on coming with me I decided this was the time to leave for an overseas adventure. I had saved the money to purchase flight tickets, secure accommodation and complete vaccinations. I had no other plan than going to Thailand at that time with the travel books I had ordered on the internet and a planned vacation in Asia for at least three months. The vacation lasted almost eighteen months and saw me complete travel through Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore and Australia.

My enthusiasm and will to remain overseas for as long as possible became possible when meeting with seven Manchester friends I met in a bar on Kousan Road otherwise known as Gulliver’s. This short evening of fun eventually saw us partying it up for almost five weeks around Thailand's beautiful islands. It was the most amazing five weeks of my life with every single day been another adventure. The same friends convinced me to further my travels into Australia. My visa was processed from the Australian embassy in Bangkok which allowed me one year and permission to work.

After completing almost twelve months in Australia it was time to return to Asia. I had all my tax returned from employment in Australia and booked a flight to Singapore, through Malaysia by train and back into Thailand.