A never ending search

The search for residence seems to be never ending. There is much pain and suffering through the struggle of finding a suitable abode to rest ones head. This escalating problem is starting to take hold on the rental market in Australia and I feel it is only going to get worse.

I could quite easily find residence in a sharehouse but I have been living in sharehouses for a year and a half now and I am surely done with it. Many friends have been made and there is much I have learnt from the vast breadth of different cultures in my life but I'm sick of seeing good friends leave to never be in my presence again.

In actual feel I'm simply getting a little older and could do with a little more independence and solitude. I have had a car since the beginning of my sharehouse bonanza and have therefore been the local shopping bunny. I look forward to relying more on myself and not having so many dependents under my wing. I have loved them all dearly and wont ever forget them but the time has come for me to move into more reclusive surroundings - jee is that a good thing or not?

So My contract ends soon and I could quite easily be out on my ass before I know it but I'm quietly optimistic that something will come along just in the nick of time. Hopefully.

Thai stuff - Word of the day and the Fourth letter of the alphabet

Why isn't there a letter for our dear friend, the cow?

ค- Kor Kwai
ควาย
Kwai - Buffalo


Kor Kwai is a Low class consonant and has a mid tone for Kor and a mid tone for Kwai.

It can be considered sacraligeous to eat buffalo meat due to the working nature of this gentle giant. Buffalo are still used to help plow fields of rice. They do seem gentle but I don't think I would want to find myself between a buffalo and a hard place.

Hooray!!! I'm off to uni and the rains are finally here

I have received my offer and now all I have to do is enroll for school. I feel great about it. Times will be tough as a student by I thoroughly look forward to being educated again. Of course I say I'll do all my homework ahead of time but time will tell. I'm really eager to strive for this goal, even though I'll have to work part time aswell. What I will gain from this experience is more than money can buy. For so long I have felt inadequate. Like there is something missing in my life. I'm so fascinated by the idea of completing my degree because I now know only that of what I have learnt in Highschool and TAFE.

I couldn't forget to mention the rain. Brisbane has had rain for the last couple of days now. It's a fantastic blessing for our dry brown land. We have needed a good rain for many years now. I'm sure this wont be enough but atleast it's something. Unfortunately I'm not too sure if it's raining around our catchment areas. I hope that the resent spell of rain will make an impact on our water levels but sadly I don't think this is possible at the moment. Maybe the rainy season will bless us. We can only wait and see. We could just settle for drinking recycled sewage water.

Thai stuff - Word of the day and the Third letter of the alphabet

One of the redundant letters

ฃ- Kor Khuad
ฃวด
Khuad - Bottle


Kor Khuad is a High class consonant and has a rising tone for Kor and a low tone for Khuad. Also note that ฃ is a redundant consonant and is not really used anymore. There are 2 redundant consonants and this is the first. Usually you can see ฃ replaced with ข (Kor Khai)

Each letter represents something. For instance the Gai in Gor Gai means Chicken, the Khai in Kor khai means egg and the Khuad in Kor Khuad means bottle. This can be handy as once you have learn't the alphabet you will have a 44 word vocabulary.

Thai stuff - Word of the day and the Second letter of the alphabet

So how are you anyway?

HOW ARE YOU? (ARE YOU GOOD?)

สบายดีไหมคร่บ - Note that between the first consonant and the second there are no vowels. This because the vowel is assumed.

Sabai Dee Mai (basically means "feeling good?")

I think this must have been the second sentance I learnt.

ข
- Kor Khai - The Second letter of the Thai alphabet. Kor has a Rising tone and Khai has a Low tone. Kor Khai is also a Low class consonant. There are three classes of consonant and this is one of the governing factors which gauges tone to a word. I forgot to mention in the last Thai letters post that Gor Gai is a Middle Class consonant.

As of my next entry I will be focusing on each individual letter so the word of the day will be a word that starts with the selected letter of the alphabet.

What next?

Work is slow so I thought I might write.

My search for a new house is getting dire. Very soon I'll be out of my current residence and in a new one. As long as I can find one sufficient for my needs. I have spent to much time in sharehouses and have now opted for a place of my very own. My own little sanctuary where I can do what I like without scaring the living day lights out of my fellow house mates. This current line of thought stems partly from the forthcoming arrival of my dearest. If all works to plan she should be here by the middle of July sometime. I can only hope. Control of her movement is no longer in my hands.

I am thoroughly looking forward to the next coming 6 months. Times will be tough as a student but what I will gain from education will be uncountable. It has been a dream of mine for many years. I have always wanted to gain my undergraduate degree. From there the sky is the limit. What really excites me though is the direction I am traveling. Initially my direction was computers and business. After some time of chasing these goals I realised I was doing them for the wrong reasons. Now I have the chance to learn a second language fluently and I find it terribly exciting. Ok, so some might ask, "how is that better than your previous plans?". Technically it is neither better or worse. I personally think that it gives me the chance to expand my cultural ideologies beyond our safe and secure country here in Australia.

I'm simply planning and waiting now. This plan has been put in place and now I must continue and strive to complete my new found goals.

Brief comments today as there isn't really much happening in my life at the moment. One day though. I have a feeling the next couple of years are going to be real humdingers.

Thai stuff - Word of the day and the first letter of the alphabet

When starting any language you always start with this one.

HELLO

สวัสดีครับ - Note that the vowels can be above, below, left or right of the associated consonant.

Sa-Wat-Dee Krap

Krap at the end is more of an etiquette term. Thai men will seemingly say Krap at the end of most sentences. This is a sign of repsect and etiquette. Women will say KA. There are associated tones with each syllable but for the moment we can stick with the basics.

ก - Gor Gai - The first letter of the Thai alphabet. Gor has a Mid tone and Gai has a Low tone.

I hope you find this language as interesting as I have over the past 5 or 6 months.

Immensely Tired

My eyes are struggling to stay open. My work load is starting to get the better of me. I have been doing 13 hr days for the last 3 weeks and I can surely say that my interest in continuing this arduous task is fading rapidly.

I have made a mild observation. I want to stop smoking cigarettes. Now my funds are exceptionally low and I thought, well this is the perfect time to just stop. So I missed my morning smokes and by 9 I felt that I was about to fall asleep at my desk. I'm curious to know if there is a connection with my lack of smoking. If my body is going to deteriorate during the process of quitting then I'm not to sure if it is wise for me to stop immediately. I'm sure all the non-smokers out there will tell me that it's all will power and I'll feel better when I stop but today's evidence seems to say otherwise.

I'm open to advice.

Plans are going well. School is on its way and I'm really looking forward to stopping all this work. As of 2nd semester I'll be a BA student - only temporarily. Next year I'm going to commit to my 4 yr Bachelor of Asian Studies - Thai. My fascination with Thai language has been increasing exponentially the more I learn. At present I know all the consonants and most of the vowels. My goal is to be proficient in the alphabet, tone rules, reading (to a certain extent), writing and grammar. This will give me a great head start for my course next year and could also mean the exemption to the beginner classes I'll have to do in Year 1.

I have installed the Thai language support on my PC so now I can start practicing writing by typing instead of writing. I feel this may assist with my connection to the letters as I can touch type quite fast in English and connect well with the keyboard.

I'm going to attempt to teach my readers a thing or 2 about Thai language as this could also assist me with my learning processes.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to comments as it has been some time since my last comments.

One disclaimer - A link to my blog was placed on a Thai forum. Unfortunately the forum is frequented by people that think they know too much. An assumption was made that I have quit all my aspiring goals in the pursuit of my dearest. This is not true. I'm still heading off to Uni and I'm still trying with all my might to make this relationship work. I find it amusing how so many people pass judgment on Thai women while being ill informed and arrogant. One comment someone made on this forum was:

"This guy is going to get taken for a good ride. And he has no money so it will probably be a short ride once she finds out he has nothing to give her" - Seafox

This comment infuriates me. A judgment has been passed in an international forum. I hope fellow readers can see through this guys logic by noting that my GF is more than aware of my financial situation. To assume that she would leave me once she is more well informed of my financial circumstances is a "Crock of shit". She knows what I am going through and she is also faced by the same sort of scarcity I see everyday in my own life. In actual fact I'm not to stressed out as this was coming from an over-zealous salesman and I think he is perhaps bitter due to negative experiences in the past. I'm more concerned for the greater community demanding some sort of transparency and clarity in what they read. He has defamed myself by making an ill informed judgment and also insulted a nation by criticizing its people. He should be ashamed of himself. You can not the comments at the bellow address.

http://www.phuket-info.com/forums/general/14648-private-2.html
- The critical quotes comes between comment #54 - #59

HAHAHAH also a guy used the word "Love" in relation to me and the emotional state I'm in with my GF. :oP I never used that word in my communication with him. OOOO the L word. I do care dearly for my GF but I never said that word. Love is something that develops over time and experience. Not over tea and biscuits - hehehe sorry for the bad analogy.

Yet again I find myself needing to explain actions of myself and others. Why do I bother?

Nengi

"I was so happy back then"

A lovely Sunday at Kangaroo Point Brisbane

Just yesterday I was climbing with some dear friends of mine. My head really wasn't in the game but I dug deep to find the motivation and succeeded on a couple of difficult climbs. Marty nailed some nice climbs with style while Tim Tam flew up a 21. Cas has climbed before but doesn't climb often. she still managed to get up a 19. Too good folks. Now my legs are killing me.



"I began my day at the top of the cliff. My destination? Cucumber Castle, grade 23. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of this classic"



"Cas did a great job getting up Pterodactyl, 19. She even managed the 19 direct start. The direct is 17. Good work girl"





"Tim Tam struggled up Euthanasia, 21. It's one of those climbs that twists and turns your body into all sorts of crazy knots. I had something to prove now. I didn't want to be showed up by a girl :oP"







"I surely look "All Class". Don't be fooled by still shots, I fell a couple of times but felt really good once I got to the top. This is me on Euthanasia, 21"





"Marty flew up this 24, Punks in the Gin. I didn't even bother. My jealousy exudes as he gracefully launches up the rock. Yeah he came off a couple of times but his determination is something to be desired by all"



"We finished the day off with juice, as you would expect. And Joe Frog showed up to see us finishing our last climbs"

The day started at about 0900 and finished at 1800. It's a great feeling to get out and about. To follow those instincts I hold so dearly. With the work I'm doing now I need to assure myself that there is life outside of Toilets and Freight. Hopefully I can call off these stressful days of work soon. Unfortunately it will last so all I can do is attend my Sunday morning climbs and enjoy what time I do have to spend with friends.

Nengi

I hold this place close to my heart

These photos are of Kangaroo Point in Brisbane. I have been here many times climbing and it has taught me many things about self discipline and determination. The thrill I get from climbing is like no other. My climbing will be limited in the next coming months due to my work commitments but I'll still make an attempt at climbing once a week.

"...Rock on KP"

The second day of 13 hour days

It is my second day working in my 'second job'. My new occupation is hygiene technician. hehehe This is just a pretty title I grant myself. Really I'm simply a cleaner by early morning (4-8am) and a Freighty by day.

It is a surreal experience working these long hours but I find the most unusual aspect waking up at 3 in the morning. This is a time when most are snuggly tucked away under their blankets without a care in the world. I tip-toe around the kitchen trying to make as little noise as possible. The last thing I want to do is wake up my poor, pleasantly sleeping house mates. From what I have been told, I'm not tip-toing soft enough. Not that they mind. I'm the one that has to be out on the road by 3:30.

The cleaning is no brainer work but it is still quite stressful due to my limited cleaning skills. I must work tirelessly from 4 till about 7:30. Lucky for me I received the task of cleaning the toilets. Admittedly this wouldn't have been my preferred role but as I'm desperate for the work I'll simply deal with what I have been dealt and work my butt off.

8:00 comes and I am in the car heading back to work (the day job). Now I find this work less stressful because the workload is more spread out and I have done this for many years now so I'm more than capable of relying on my past experience to get the job done.

I feel there will be a time, probably fairly soon, where I will start to burn out. This is the time I'll have to bail and get out while I stile have my sanity - not that I ever really had it :oP. I hope I can last just long enough to repay my debts and possibly save a small amount for my next Semester in school. This sort of sleep deprivation can be a good challenge of taken in the right way. For me I think it will cause me some stress but I atleast look forward to completing my time here and looking back at what I have achieved.

I think these hours are going to seriously jeopardise my writing skills. We often take for granted our regular sleeping patterns but once we have to change our cycle our brains tend to slow down until we have overcome this mild hurdle.

"...zzzzz where is my bed"

An abnormally noisy morning.

I woke to the sounds of our all encompassing smoke alarms ringing throughout the house. One of my genius house mates imagined he could stop the low battery beep by pushing the test button numerous times. Call me crazy but I would guess that pushing the test button would only exacerbate the issue. For making the alarm siren would simply waste the little battery life it has left. The terrible thing about our smoke alarms is that all are connected so if one goes, all go.

Then to top it off my genius house mate asked if I could call the agent to have it repaired. Now I consider this and realise that it is no real stress for me to do. The issue for me is that he is more than capable of calling himself. The smoke alarm is down stairs and hasn't really bothered me so I say he should "Pull his finger out" and do it himself. But I'll do it anyway. I'm just a nice guy deep down.

Then everyone insisted on having their showers this morning instead of those selected few that choose to have their showers in the night time. So I now am a little stinking on account of not showering. This isn't something most would readily admit to but hey, everyone has to be a little stinky every now and then.

So now I'm back at work after this slightly unpleasant morning but feeling positive as I don't have to be home for a whole 8 hrs. Don't get me wrong. I love my house and all of my house mates. I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. hehehe Not that means to much for me anyway. I don't really get in abnormally irritated moods.

Enjoy your day and think yourself lucky you had a shower.

Overlooking chances

Chances are often overlooked due to the potential risks involved. I must admit I have never been one to opt out of a possible chance at finding something or achieving some status of being. Perhaps I push my boundaries a little to far but for this I would like to say I'm brave. Or stupid. My commitment in the face of danger can be detrimental but I feel that I must follow my heart and rely on my instincts for the right decision is always clouded by acceptable norms for society.

These norms are fashioned by the generic populace and are easily recognised by the blank personalities of many a fellow man. I'm not critisising the norm but simply stating that I choose not to be a part of it. For example, there is a common view of women from Thailand's north east that the ultimate goal is to attain a potential suitor with enough finanncial security to sustain her and her family. In some cases this is true. The many facets of Thai culture provides provisions for these poorer demographic. My concern is that this cultural norm seems to humour or defame the many hard working and passionate Thais within the region.

So what I'm trying to say is that in the face of adversity I choose to follow my instincts till the fail me. Some may say that my instincts have failed me on many occasions and this can be seen as true to a certain extent. One difference now is that, in time, I have learnt many things and can now way up my risks from a more experienced and mature state of mind.

For those that think I'm going a little coo coo with my prophetic and analytical view need not be concerned for my mental well being. I'm simply trying to express my opinion in the best possible English I can muster. Writing is a beautiful art if perfected and that is what I would like to attempt.

hehe Thanks to my dearest mother for raising me to respect the language and speak proper English. She is the first and only to critisise my grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Nengi's minimal theory of change within social relationships

This theory briefly covers my opinions of relationships between friends and lovers. I am aware that my analysis is brief at best. This is a simple observation from personal experience.

One should not expect substantial change in life due to the actions of others. My experience and that of those around me has emphasised the old saying "you can't change someone. They can only change themselves".

It can be quite unfortunate to experience this first hand. For me it was a situation of making certain actions and expecting some sort of appropriate reaction. But I must note that these issues cannot be predicted in any conventional manner. One must look at each individual circumstance for its own merits. Under most circumstances the individual will be mistaken either marginally or substantially. I feel I have been sorely mistaken. But in stead of being upset or confused I am simply willing to accept the inevitable. That all cannot be predicted. You may or may not change somebodies view or outlook but the result will rarely be as expected. An individual should not expect to change somebodies ways or ideologies as this would be perceived to be arrogant or naive.

We as a people walk a path of intermediary relationships of both lovers and friends. Sometimes the results of these relationships are less than desirable while at other times the sensations can be almost to rewarding. There must be an even medium within the realm social interactions where we can find long term lovers and friends. A place where we can be reassured of complete commitment from those we care for. I have attained a certain number of true friends I will hold dearly until the end of my existence but attaining true love is a far more complex task.

True love is surely not easy to come by. Why exactly, I do not know. But one thing I do understand is that everything changes when two so called lovers come together. When this romantic bond is established a situation arises that is completely incomparable to a purely friendship based relationship. Being one's friend and one's lover are two very separate things. Personalities change, idiosyncrasies come out and new individualism is formed.

"...it doesn't matter what you do. She is all the way over there and you are here. You are the one with something to lose" -Joe Frog

Below are some pictures from one of my days at Kangaroo Point.

Nengi

Blabber Mouth - 200 metres of fun - sanook mak mak

Just yesterday I embarked on one of my hair brain journeys. My friend and I travelled out to the Glasshouse mountains to send the classic Blabber Mouth. A nice grade 16 multipitch climb. It has 7 pitchs with bolts most of the way through the climb. Like many other easy climbs at Tibro there are sections of limited protection. Places where a fall could really mean trouble for your day half way up a 200 metre climb. But to me this all adds to the excitment.

I woke late at 0730 and quickly grabbed all my gear I had prepared the night before. My excitment was building as it had been many months since I had visited Tibro. I was looking forward to the adventure and fascination of being half way up a mountain. It is a sureal expirience and really puts you out of common surroundings. Humans were never meant to survive in a vertical environment. I got to My mates place by about 0830 and waited for him to ready himself for the days endurance activity.

We reached the mountain by about 1030 and started climbing at 1100. I did the first 3 pitchs and my mate did the next 2. I did the 6th and he did the 7th in true style as there is no protection at all for this 25 metre pitch. A complete solo but the grade is only 10 so it's not so couragous. That being said, you never know when a rock will come off in your hand and send you packing down to your demise. I love it more than you can imagine. Living out there on the edge. It keeps the blood moving.

We were behind scheduale and true Nengi form we completed the climb just as the sun was going down. It gives a great opportunity for some nice sunset photography at 200 metres above the ground. The real issue at hand though is that we have to climb down about 300 metres of 50 degree rock on the other side of the mountain to get back to the bottom. We had 1 head lamp between the 2 of us but managed to reach the bottom unscathed.

All in all it was a 12 and a half hour day from start to finish and now I am back here working my little butt off as usual. I can't wait till next weekend. I'm heading back to Mt Maroon. Should be very interesting. Hopefully I don't have the same results as my last trip to Maroon (traversing the side of the mount, searching for the tourist trail). Should be great anyway.