I'm now in Asia. In lovely thailand. Shame I have food poisoning. Oh well these things happen. Got a bit of time to update the blog!
I have started several youtube channels for my blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EuKq5DbFs4
The above link is my cost of living link for bangkok. It is proving quite a popular video, at least more so than I expected. I never thought I'd get 100 views, but it is close to 200 view and it has only been up a few weeks. Check it out, love to hear what you think of it.
Will update this, but my youtube channels give you some video footage of my life in Bangkok. There will soon be footage of other cities around the world too!
Here are the links:
http://www.youtube.com/user/savingmoneyIN
http://www.youtube.com/user/jswinbrum
Signing off now,.. ciao all.
:)
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
rashes,hippies, bums, free shit and the next stop on the road
The update
The new thing:
My health insurance, i think, has run out. And, i am not sure whether it is mosquitos or if i have a skin rash. It is reasonably similar to the rash I got back 4/5 years ago, a rash that eventually went away, but took 2 weeks.I still haven't ruled out mosquitos, as there are loads here and other people get bitten alot too. The humidity could also be it- it is VERY humid here. Also, I've had a lot of avocados- might need an alergy test- all things to consider.
I've been staying at a co-op, hippies basically. While it has been cool, it has also tested me in more ways than one. Thier liberalism, with clothing, drugs, alcohol and their mixed me crazy. Some folk here have introduced me to some cool ideas, and their laid back attitude is something that reminds me of when I was a bit younger. I ask ' what are your plans for today?' Everyone answers, although individually, ' Dunno, going to see what happens'. I get similar answers if I ask what their plans are for next year, five years and what they want out of life. Their dismal lack of aspiration shows me how losers are born and bred. Shame really as they are quite nice, friendly people I want them to have dreams, to want to do well, not sure why, but I do.
Great food, a growing garden, a piano and library as well as open ideas are some of the things I have liked, plus a whole lot of people to chat to. So it hasn't been bad. Plus, as you may have guessed, it is free accommodation, and thanks to the dumpster culture free food, and great free food.
Tomorrow I plan to go to New orleans, home to street culture. Music, dance, everything. I'm really looking forward to it. I also, with all my heart, am hoping, nay praying, for calm weather. Not too humid, not Vegas dryness. Just right. After saving shed loads couchsurfing I'll most likely treat myself to either a hostel or, wait for it, a hotel!!!!
The new thing:
My health insurance, i think, has run out. And, i am not sure whether it is mosquitos or if i have a skin rash. It is reasonably similar to the rash I got back 4/5 years ago, a rash that eventually went away, but took 2 weeks.I still haven't ruled out mosquitos, as there are loads here and other people get bitten alot too. The humidity could also be it- it is VERY humid here. Also, I've had a lot of avocados- might need an alergy test- all things to consider.
I've been staying at a co-op, hippies basically. While it has been cool, it has also tested me in more ways than one. Thier liberalism, with clothing, drugs, alcohol and their mixed me crazy. Some folk here have introduced me to some cool ideas, and their laid back attitude is something that reminds me of when I was a bit younger. I ask ' what are your plans for today?' Everyone answers, although individually, ' Dunno, going to see what happens'. I get similar answers if I ask what their plans are for next year, five years and what they want out of life. Their dismal lack of aspiration shows me how losers are born and bred. Shame really as they are quite nice, friendly people I want them to have dreams, to want to do well, not sure why, but I do.
Great food, a growing garden, a piano and library as well as open ideas are some of the things I have liked, plus a whole lot of people to chat to. So it hasn't been bad. Plus, as you may have guessed, it is free accommodation, and thanks to the dumpster culture free food, and great free food.
Tomorrow I plan to go to New orleans, home to street culture. Music, dance, everything. I'm really looking forward to it. I also, with all my heart, am hoping, nay praying, for calm weather. Not too humid, not Vegas dryness. Just right. After saving shed loads couchsurfing I'll most likely treat myself to either a hostel or, wait for it, a hotel!!!!
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
The ups and downs of traveling: finding out about the real currency
All travelers need to be slightly aware of their budget, or at least most do. I'm one of the ones that does, and I often see it as quite fun to find a cheap option, as often price reflects not value, just, well, price. That said, more than ever, this trip has highlighted something i've been thinking about and reading about.. Energy.
I can't claim to have invented this rather interesting way of looking at our world but I really do feel it and have never, ever, been able to put my mind on to it.
Picture this. Moaners, bitchers, people that bring you down, negative types, nay sayers- they're not great to be around, they take your energy. Places, people, things, events, environments do the same. On a bus full of dodgy people, I feel it. My energy is being taken, I feel stressed, alert but not comfortable and that's the stress- the positive energy leaving. And the negative shit that's left? That's the shit that causes diseases. The stuff medical types say cause illnesses, and it makes perfect sense. Your body and mind are being put into a bad state, they aren't working optimally and negativity affects them. Capitalism doesn't promote this enough, it only promotes the financial benefits of 'a good deal'. Forget a good deal. Go for the good energy. Humans run on energy.
So. How the ... does this relate to being in the mighty US of A? You'll see patient reader, you'll see.
I've stayed in a hotel, a hostel and couchsurfed. Different prices, of course. But, a big BUT, the most important thing is not the financial implications (only took me 25 years- I am a SLOW learner) but the energy implications. The ups and downs are truly amplified when away from home, so its even more important. I couchsurfed with a dude call Ryan. So nice. Open. Kind. Generous. Booster of energy. His gf? The opposite.
What are the effects of all this? Staying somewhere with stressful folks, where I won'tbe able to recharge my metaphorically batteries might save me a few bucks, but my life energy- sounds cheesy as funk- but it is true, will be less. I'll be less driven, less excited, less up for doing anything.
Where from now? Search for places with the right energy aka the right vibe aka ' a nice environment'. Cost will now be the secondary factor.
And I'm out.
I can't claim to have invented this rather interesting way of looking at our world but I really do feel it and have never, ever, been able to put my mind on to it.
Picture this. Moaners, bitchers, people that bring you down, negative types, nay sayers- they're not great to be around, they take your energy. Places, people, things, events, environments do the same. On a bus full of dodgy people, I feel it. My energy is being taken, I feel stressed, alert but not comfortable and that's the stress- the positive energy leaving. And the negative shit that's left? That's the shit that causes diseases. The stuff medical types say cause illnesses, and it makes perfect sense. Your body and mind are being put into a bad state, they aren't working optimally and negativity affects them. Capitalism doesn't promote this enough, it only promotes the financial benefits of 'a good deal'. Forget a good deal. Go for the good energy. Humans run on energy.
So. How the ... does this relate to being in the mighty US of A? You'll see patient reader, you'll see.
I've stayed in a hotel, a hostel and couchsurfed. Different prices, of course. But, a big BUT, the most important thing is not the financial implications (only took me 25 years- I am a SLOW learner) but the energy implications. The ups and downs are truly amplified when away from home, so its even more important. I couchsurfed with a dude call Ryan. So nice. Open. Kind. Generous. Booster of energy. His gf? The opposite.
What are the effects of all this? Staying somewhere with stressful folks, where I won'tbe able to recharge my metaphorically batteries might save me a few bucks, but my life energy- sounds cheesy as funk- but it is true, will be less. I'll be less driven, less excited, less up for doing anything.
Where from now? Search for places with the right energy aka the right vibe aka ' a nice environment'. Cost will now be the secondary factor.
And I'm out.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
on poker thrills, spills and bills
Well, I feel fully inducted into the world of poker, online.
My poker education was short, sweet and thrilling, unlike my real education which was long, tedious and left me a tad bitter at my lot in life. Still, I'm repping the downtrodden man. Anyway, back to the point..
Online poker was just a click away. I signed up and played two nights of cash games. Then, after winning and losing pennies I embarked on tournaments, which I promptly won, this is where the thrills are at, winning. Suffice to say, the first tournament netted me the grand amount of 2 quid. Hence, I wrote this article a few weeks AFTER that win. Didn't want to over-excite any of the readers and all.
I go on to win quite a few more tournaments, edging up slowly, culminating in two tournament wins that wake me up. In my first week I've turned £15 into £150.
I'm maaaad excited about this.
Then, unsurprisingly, the downfall. It was straight down, up and down up and down, more like it, but still down. My downfall was the result of trying to 'up my game' by going to bigger tournaments, only to play reckless, shite poker.
I will say my last 2 poker tournament results. Well, I went out first on both. First to a full house my 10 10 10 K K being beaten by K K K 9 9- considering I had a full house it's not a bad hand to lose on. My last tournie was lost on trip 5s ( 5 5 5) losing to trip 8s (8 8 8 ).
Back to square one.
My poker education was short, sweet and thrilling, unlike my real education which was long, tedious and left me a tad bitter at my lot in life. Still, I'm repping the downtrodden man. Anyway, back to the point..
Online poker was just a click away. I signed up and played two nights of cash games. Then, after winning and losing pennies I embarked on tournaments, which I promptly won, this is where the thrills are at, winning. Suffice to say, the first tournament netted me the grand amount of 2 quid. Hence, I wrote this article a few weeks AFTER that win. Didn't want to over-excite any of the readers and all.
I go on to win quite a few more tournaments, edging up slowly, culminating in two tournament wins that wake me up. In my first week I've turned £15 into £150.
I'm maaaad excited about this.
Then, unsurprisingly, the downfall. It was straight down, up and down up and down, more like it, but still down. My downfall was the result of trying to 'up my game' by going to bigger tournaments, only to play reckless, shite poker.
I will say my last 2 poker tournament results. Well, I went out first on both. First to a full house my 10 10 10 K K being beaten by K K K 9 9- considering I had a full house it's not a bad hand to lose on. My last tournie was lost on trip 5s ( 5 5 5) losing to trip 8s (8 8 8 ).
Back to square one.
Monday, 14 December 2009
The decade A-Z
the decade A-Z
A- an ok decade. Ajuda. Amazon.
B- breaking/bboy, the breakdancing decade for me
C- can do it decade
D- dammit- 2.2 at uni, Dominoes Pizza
E- English as a second language
F- foreign language learning
G- Google.
H- heart soups in portugal.
I- Italy 2006 nice holiday
Jake turns 25.
K Kaz, my first real girlfriend
L- love, real love with Zuraida. Lisbon. Leon marries. Learnt to cook. Languages.
M- money, working full time for the first time!
N- Nice getting on with my dad.
O- opportunity to go anywhere and do anything
P portugal 08-09. Poker love started in 2009. Pedro portugal.
Rap and hiphop obsession
S September 11th
T Tescos
U unemployment end of 2009!
W Warren Buffett. Wikipedia.Windmills.
Xrays, a million of them!
Youtube
Z zuraida, my amazing ex-girlfriend of 6.5 years
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Notes on unemployment- the ups and the downs
Ordinarily unemployment, at least for me has been more enjoyable than this time round. I would almost be unemployed out of choice, and if it wasn't by choice, it was mildy enjoyable ( I had time to do enjoyable things) and it was temporary.
Zoom forward to 2009. After hearing about rising unemployment, everyday, when I was out in Portugal, I thought I'd never experience it. Tefl would keep me employed, or so I thought.
I guess I'm in quite a dark place at the moment. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I got here. Sometimes it is hard to work out these things, but I'll give it a go.
After leaving my job, I came home. Financially a decent step, but not in any other way.
Crammed into a study, with a mattress and half a metre's space, living with family and arguments, quizzed on everything and generally annoyed- it wasn't a good start.
Adding to this a breaking up of 6 and a half year relationship and alienation from all of my friends (the consequences in breaking circles of 'leaving' them- going to Portugal) and no place to train. With no money, a serious lack of friends, no girl and the small things that annoy me at home- welcome to my current situation.
The up is I should get some money in in the next few days. The down? An anger I haven't felt before. Application form after application form, cv sent, cv re-worked, cv sent, ignored, too many apologies from underqualfied over-polite annoying recruitment agents.
Days filled up with the habit- online poker.
Joint problems.
So. How to get a u-turn? I'm going to list some bad habits and work round them.
- Over reliance on one or two friends
- Over reliance on one friends car
- Too much online poker
- Too much time online
- Too little reading
Ways to improve
- set a deadline- to leave the country or do something equally dramatic
- final reworkings of the effing cv
- get up earlier
- max. 30 mins of poker a day
- do something creative
- be kinder to people in a vain attempt to feel better about the shitness that is my life.
- rest more, stress less.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
School Phobia bull shit.
A BBC article states kids are scared of going into school and labels seperation anxiety, attached to lovely mommy and daddy as a cause.
My take?
Having been to a 'rough' school I know what it is like to not want to go to school. We, me and my friends, jokingly reffered to our school as a 'prison'. I counted down the days to end of term.
My brother, who is 4.5 years older said 'I only have one term left brother while you have 4 years, good luck!' - that's the kinda place it was.
When there was drugs, kids smoking and drinking at age 12, bullying (broken ribs and arms on a few occasions), fights including headbutts and elbows in the playground (blood everywhere), teachers being beaten up by parents, what did we do?
We went into school. We grew up quickly. What was the alternative? School is school, you do your time whether its a nice school or not a nice one.
I don't regret going to the school in any way, shape or form, in fact it really was a good kind of social education.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Starting my own business
While I'm somewhat used to investing in businesses of other people or transnational businesses, starting my own is a different kettle of fish.
Stocks, tick. Real estate, soon to be tick ( i hope!). My own business? On the internet? Hmmm.
I find it easier to part with money for someone else's. It is managed for me. There is no time investment. In some ways, if investing in solid enterprises, there is less risk. 1 or 2k in a start up? Normally down the drain. Opening my wallet won't be easy, but the road to financial freedom has its' potholes and, taking the visual metaphor a step further, if I never step foot on the road of self employment the road to wealth may as well be forgotten.
Wish me luck.
Wish me luck.
Lifestyle change necessary
Moving into the old house, with the mother was tolerable, for a week or two but it signifies a change in lifestyle far great. Regression and unemployment.
Falling back into addictions. Online poker, at least I'm not wasting money on the thing, it is all free, for now. Facebook controls some of my life as well.
The rest of my day?Well..
One postive side effect of my recent unemployment is a return to training, yesterday for example- I trained in the morning with friends for 90 mins or so, then went out in the evening, totalling at least 5 hours or breaking. Hardcore. I'm feeling it today though...
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