It’s Sunday – Blogathon continues… Cheating slightly, but like I said, it’s the weekend.

No major content today, although I am having a good think about the stuff that I’ll post in the week…
Monday is when the fun begins.

That’ll be tomorrow then.

An Essex Boy in fact.

I like to think I hide this little known (well – not any more) very well.

What with the accent only creeping out on occasion and only slipping back into my native tongue whenever I cross the border…

Not many people seem to pick up on it.

All this aside – it is actually nice to get home every now and then.

As much as I could never live back in Essex ever again – (or to be more precise; back on Canvey Island in Essex), I do have a few, very dear friends who still live there.. and along with some of my family – they always give me an excuse to head home.

I moan and bitch about the place but secretly, I actually love it.

There’s no train station, (you have to get a train to Benfleet then get a bus/cab/lift onto the Island itself), there’s one cinema, one McDonalds, three schools and a lake…
It’s in the Thames Estuary (just before Southend) so therefore people speak with the ‘Estuary English’ twang – aka ‘The Essex Accent’ – the place has it’s ups and downs and it ain’t perfect but I guess it’ll always be home.

One thing I tend to do whenever I go home is take a walk along the sea wall – if the tide is in I’ll walk out into the sea along the old sea wall and stand in the middle of it. It’s one of the most calming things in the world a is one of my ’secret places’. The place where, when things are stressing me out and the world is feeling heavy on my shoulders, I can just go and be.

Stand. Breathe. Take it all in. Y’know? Let everything go out into the big blue.. (or grey/brown).

Christmas has been good so far. Caught up with my best friend.. I call him my best friend.. he’s more like my Brother to be honest. My brother from another Mother if you will… But yeah – saw him, his family. Saw my family too. Still at my Mum’s at the time of typing – heading back tomorrow. Drunken Boxing Day Karaoke to tackle first!  Hehehe…

Cannae wait to get back to sunny Teddington… I don’t have many friends back here at ‘home’.

I’m reminded, as I write, that it may well have been a contributing factor as to why I moved away in the first place… Which is fine – I know who my friends are and I love them very much.

There just isn’t a large collection of them on Canvey.

I caught up with some old friends, played some Wii, laughed a hell of a lot and drank a fair bit of wine too!
I know 99% of my readers have never been to Canvey before so I’ve taken the liberty of uploading some photos of the ‘idyllic’ seafront along with the ‘picturesque’ sandy beaches..

All taken with my trusty N95 too!

Once this is uploaded i’ll get to work a little post entitled -

The Mobile Geeks of London

(which I was supposed to write last week!)

But for now… Boats and Beaches!

But first.. I need to pay my rent.. Hmm.

Can’t see that happening just yet – it IS payday today – and I have been paid some money.. but have I got enough for my rent?

Nope.

Hmm..

*wonders how much he can get for a kidney*

Its been so hectic since I got home – work is mental and anyone who’s anyone is trying to catch me for some catch up drinking and suchlike!

Oh gawd!

So today is Wednesday – I’ve gotta work my socks off up until Friday then the weekend will be here.. dunno what I’ll do with it mind – check my bank balance today – OUCH. A fair amount of stuff from Thailand hit today.

Damn. Basically.

So sod it – I’m gonna have to knuckle down and get the overtime in so I can afford to LIVE next month – Jeez.. Plus Im gonna need a spare bit of spendin money if I’m gonna have any chance of a decent summer..

I am actually considering a second job..

Yeah. I know!

Shockin huh? I gotta do something..

Hmm – maybe escorting?! Hahahahaahahahahahaha…

So yeah – been invited out in Staines tonight with Martin and Ash, tomorrow night I’m seeing my friend Nats, Friday… well Friday is Friday. Saturday I was gonna go back to Canvey and see family and friends.. but now I’ve been invited to a party in Brixton that I REALLY wanna go to.. oh its a tough life.. Maybe I could goto Canvey Friday night and then come home Saturday and go to the party then.. now THAT is an idea.. )

Anyway – im rambling..

I need to go to work. Its 720 and my train is in 15mins.

Laters all.

Its 726am and I’m back in the UK. I actually got back around 12hrs ago but I was so shattered that I didnt have time to update.. (sorry true believers).

So yeah – where did I leave off? I was in Bangkok wasn’t I?

Cool – I think I posted my last blog before I had a mental half an hour where I managed to lose my tickets AND my passport. That was quite amusing to say the least. Hahaah. Needless to say I found them in the end – but it got a bit hairy scary at one moment there!

Heheh..

So yeah – flight was reasonable uneventful..

Got home, got picked up, didnt go to the pub.. HONEST GUV!

Went round my mate Will’s place for an orange juice and a satsuma.. Man I sure know how to live it up eh?

Now its 828am (been doin other stuff – sorry – writing MAHOOSIVE emails to those who deserve them) and I need a shower… got SO much to do today: Get my films developed, sort out my finances, do some washing, buy some new clothes that fit, get a frame for my painting, sort out stuff for work tomrrow, go and see my friend Olivia, go through my post, eat some healthy food.. Hahahh.. So much to do so little time!

Right then – I’m off.

Keep smiling folks..

See you soon,

J.

So – Day nine of the trip. Day two of eating again.

The last night was to take it easy – one step at a time – no crap and no over doing it..

So I get to the table and I order myself this mango and cinnamon softie thing… oh it was gorgeous.. and that was that. Then ZenJen ordered these Tofu and raw salad Burritos.. which I was drooling over.. and what d’ya know? ZJ couldn’t eat them both. So I had one.. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… lovely.
So that was cool.. so then Sheli joined us and she fancied a softie like the one I’d just had.. so she got one.. and got me one too.

Taste explosion!

Its like I’ve never eaten before! Everything tastes so new and so fresh. I’m loving it.. Had a large steamed veggie plater for breakfast/lunch today.. that was well nice. Thinkin about eatin some more soon.. my body’s craving it!

I’ll hush now.. dont wanna go puttin all that weight back on!

I’m a bit bored today – ZJ went to Ko Phang Yang this morning, (happy travelling Jen – dont get too wasted!), I havent seen Sheli yet, JenJen’s gone to tescos and Steve’s gone to get his blood tested (dont ask). So I dunno what I’m gonna do really.. might go introduce myself to some of the new folk that have turned up recently..

I’m thinking about going up to Bophut tomorrow – its closer to the airport y’see and I could stay there the night before I fly and maybe save myself some cash.. I dunno. Will talk it over with a few peeps. See what they think. I’ll let you know I guess.. plus there’s a really nice restaurant there that Kim was telling me about called (Martin – if you’re reading this – you’ll love it.. I know it).. called – “The Love Kitchen”. Brilliant. I HAVE to go there! HAHAHAAHAH..

So we’ll see.

Its Friday today. One more full day to go and the long journey home begins.

Keep smiling folks and I’ll catch up with you all real soon!

Laters.