Well 'prayed' Jermain.
He may look like a north london wide boy with his diamond stud and gap toothed grin, but you have to admit Jermain Defoe showed alot of character over his England exclusion and the fact that he's not the only star at Tottenham. You may or may not know, I am a Christian (a screwed up one, but a thankful struggling one) and to read that this particular young premiership millionaire is one too is pretty good.

Taken from the BBC website:///

Prayer helped Defoe bounce back

Watch the full interview... Football FocusSat 23 Dec, from 1210 GMT

Tottenham's Jermain Defoe has revealed how his Christianity helped heal his disappointment at not being part of England's World Cup squad last summer.
Defoe was on standby but flew back from Germany before the tournament began.
He told Football Focus: "I've always been a religious person, and I try to think that every disappointment might just be a blessing in disguise.
"I thought it was not meant to be, that I should keep positive, keep praying and hopefully my time will come."
The 24-year-old striker has bounced back from the disappointment to score 10 goals for Tottenham so far this season.
And Defoe added: "I pray every day. In the mornings and, before I go to bed. I think it's important to pray not just when things are going bad.
"When things are going bad, it's easy to pray and ask God to help you out, but it's also important to pray when things are going well and show your appreciation.
"I think my faith is important. Being young as well, sometimes it's difficult, but I've got a good family behind me as well."

Who's the fat ref in the tottenham strip?! This was moments before the heavens opened and we were all drenched. Intellect House against Trust House, junior forms.

. . . . ...........Aline Rosa Thomas, 1908 - 2006

I said earlier that I might write a quick tribute to my Granny. So, here it is. I think these photos of her, taken about 80 years ago, do show how graceful and gracious a person she was. She was always loving, even to the point when Karen and I were teens that we felt a bit coddled. She had a wicked sense of humour too. She had a library of funny stories for every occasion. As I knew her, she was a beautiful old lady with sparkling blue eyes and rosy cheecks - all hairnets and the smell of soap - but before that she was the daughter of a village clergyman, wife of an army officer in East Africa, and a mother to two boys and a girl in the English New Forest. When I feel the red mist coming, I'll try to think about her. Once again, goodnight granny.

The * Red * Mist

I've posted on this topic before, but lately I've noticed my normal emotional state has become 'slightly angry' and its getting easier and easier for me to see the 'red mist' in all kinds of situations.

I wake up and already feel angry. If the wrong lift comes first in the morning, if the staff in the Lobby open the door too slowly, if anyone cuts me off or walks too slowly on the street, if people leave gaps when they queue for a minibus so that the end of the queue has to trail out further into the street, when the club house staff, where I live, aren't polite, when people block the aisle with their shopping trolley, when people allow their kids to disturb others all send my blood pressure up. . (now its 90 over 140, with a resting pulse of 40 - 50 bpm)

Then there's work, people inventing next day deadlines that didn't exist before, people expecting me to understand Chinese circulars and memo's, having to sit through 4 hour meetings in the evening in Chinese. Working with colleagues who are constantly stressed too (All the staff are in small prayer groups that meet once a week or so and every time my group meets people are in tears) Only having junk food available at work, and then there are some of the mad things the students do . . . and the actual pressure of the work itself.

Then there's the complexity of the offers and deals you have to cope with when trying to buy something as simple as a meal. . . (this is a slight exaggeration)

Assistant: 'If two people buy the tea-set before 12 (without lemon tea)and bring your ID cards and a voucher then both countersign and finish your meal within 45 minutes then for the next 3 visits in October you can have a two percent discount on any dessert that doesn't include chocolate.'

Gwei Lo Thomas: 'Please, I am just a simple Englishman, I just want a cup of coffee.'

Assistant: 'Oh right, you want coffee? will that be a Arabic, Brazillian, Late, ground coffee, fruit coffee , Mocha, iced, espresso, cappucino, filtered, instant, this blend, that blend . . . you know if you buy two coffees before 6pm and drink them on your head while singing 'I'm a little tea-pot', you can get a stamp to stink on your bum, when you get 5 million stamps you will be elligable for a prize draw.'.

Gwei Lo Thomas: 'I see, um. . . ok, then. . . may I have a glass of water please'

Assistant: 'No water, water is free'

Gwei Lo Thomas: 'Oh. . . . umm so do you have water?'

Assistant: 'no water, water is free'

Gwei Lo Thomas: ' So do you have some water, that is free, that you can give to me?'

Assistant: ' Yes, do you want still, sparkling, Spring water, distilled, mineral, flavoured, fortified, Perrier, Hot, warm, cold, very cold, quite warm, hot with a little warm bit near the top, room temperature, body temperature, . . . '

Gwei Lo Thomas: ' . . . . . . ok then. . . . . I'd like a blend of waters drawn from the icey crusts of the moons that orbit Jupiter, filtered through a thousand layers of differnt coloured silks, evaporated and recondensed as snow over the Alps please'

Assistant: ' With ice and lemon?'

Gwei Lo Thomas: ' Gooosfrabaaaahhh.

But I can take it. I won't retire here thats for sure, but I still like the fight at the moment. . . God bless Hong Kong and stop me from losing my rag every day. Amen.

The Lonely Life of a Football Fan.
I dont know for sure but, from where I'm sitting, Tottenham are the cruellest team to support. They're a club in the habbit of building and demolishing expectations on a season by season basis. The triumph against Chealski has ben followed by an abject desplay against Watford. Atleast we aren't the only underperformers this season.

Robbie Keane Leaves Ferreira on his bum.

Tottenham Hotspur 2. Chelsea 1.
I couldnt let the week pass without a quick post on a historic game for the club I support. Spurs last took 3 points from Chelsea 16 years ago and it is a small indication of the progress made under Martin Jol that, with both teams playing well, we came out on top. The first twenty five minutes were all Chelsea, and as I watched Makalele hit a sweeet volley past Paul Robinson, I admit I turned the TV off and thought 'OK, that's it then'
Luckily I had the courage to turn the TV back on.
But the players had another idea, and two goals, a red card and 30 minutes later the club had finally beaten an in form top 4 side. It was a great game to watch.

Re the decisions: Terry wrestled Ledley King to the ground and had a set too with Chimbonda and deserved to go off. Lampard tackled like a Shao Lin Monk and the whistle had gone before Drogba scored his second. So the referee was spot on IMHO.

On its own, I know this doesnt mean much unless it is built on, but it is a step foreward. I dont believe there is a premiership glass ceiling and that the top 4 will always be the top 4. Call me a heretic if you want to. But I think Liverpool and Arsenal are not 'as' safe now, as they were this time last week.

WELL DONE SPURS!

Writing-Writing-Writing.
GRAMMAR QUESTION: Do you think this title is a straight noun or an abstract gerund noun, or even the present continuous form of the verb?

If you read it first as a gerund then you might be one of the people who fancy themselves to be 'a writer'. Would you like to be? Do you think you already are? If a writer earns their living from writing then I guess publishing our blogs every week or so doesnt make us writers. That said, there are some bloggers who do write with a bit of craft. PLease look at my links list....especially Nora.

Here's what waits for you if you want to earn a living writing books.
The market for every genre is flooded. The market is a market; if it doesnt appeal to a demographic that buys, then it doesn't get published. You need an agent to match you with a publisher and you will be rejected by many publishers. You can't only write what you enjoy writing - It is the opposite of writing for pleasure. You must be an artisan, untill you earn enough money to be an 'artist'.

I'm 32 now. I'll be 33 soon (suck it up Kalun) and while I spent my twenties writing selfish unsellable chapters now and again and forcing my good friends to read them and say nice things, I'm starting to feel like my eyes are wide open enough to try to write a novel...

So I'm going to seriously try. I want to have good motives. I want to have a realistic approach to it. I'm going to try to take an hour or two a day and force myself to sit in front of my PC and get from the beginning to an end of a novel. I've tried and failed before, but I feel a bit more grown up now than I was in my twenties. Lets see what happens. I'll report back in six months.

The Honesty of Children

Lunch hour at work, its friday, no more lessons...just some speech festival coaching, so I am flouting the unspoken law that reads

Thou shalt not do anything for yourself at work.

....and I have decided to rattle off some stream of conciousness during my nine to five (7 to 7 for me actaully) Because its at work though, I think it might end up as 'steam' of conciousness what with the frantic faffing about in this staffroom at lunchtime. Over the weekend I'll try best to write something really good, some 'cream' of conciousness. Do you like 'cream' puns..?

A week or so ago I asked my youngest class - 12 yr olds - to describe me for a short homework. They are sweet, charming, and eager to please teacher, or so I thought. My armour plated ego hasnt recovered yet.

Apparently I am a - half breed clown with funny Chinese and an arse like a hill. -

The honesty of children is terrifying.

Wont flatter myself by appologising to a 'readership', just a quick 'pardonnez moi' to the friends and family who have dropped by this page only to be disappointed over the last few months. Busy lah.

I had a quick UK visit over summer and it is starting to become a bit routine already. I still enjoy the feeling of 'culture bump' though. The P's and Q's don't come naturally to me now and I found myself offending bus drivers, shop assistants and anyone who expected me to hold a door open. What fun! British people are great 'tutters'

It was interesting to see how people had grown in the two years since I was there. My sister's kids especially.

I cant figure out how to add a picture its been so long. . .

write more once I've figured it out. . .

If you dont know him already, may I introduce you to a London boy called Jermain. He's 23 years old and plays football in the team that finished 5th... last year... The new season is coming...Audere est facere!

Maybe I can take two more years after all.

A Gallery of my form 5 students. The enjoyable side of the job is the friendships that can happen.



Taken At their graduation dinner. Smart people.
The main group with class 5D. Click on images to see the full size one.

You see how well matched the British and Chinese senses of humour are?

The Beckham/Eriksson era has ended in failure.
I like David Beckham but he shouldnt have been starting. The squad selection of S.G.E. was the main reason for England not going further. He will get some serious criticism in the papers. Rightfully so. Why was Walcott there? Why was Jenas there? Why wasn't Defoe there?

FUN'eral tea with, from left to right: Steve, my sister's boyfriend. Karen, my sister. Barbie, my dad's cousin, making her my...? Angela, my aunt, Me, with my dad stood behind. Nigel, my uncle. John a long standing friend of the family.
About 30 people attended. My eulogy was fine. At was a privelage to speak at the funeral of 98 year old woman who had done so much. When I get some old photo's of her scanned, I might do a tribute post over the summer.
OK, Its all done with now. Back in HK, got a stack of work waiting for me.

Death is common. But grief, coming as it does from the loss of a relationship, can be very particular.

Like Henry and like Esther, I had a very special Granny. Aline Rosa Thomas died two days ago aged 98, and she will be deeply missed. She was the best of the Thomas's. Unconditionally kind and more loving than anyone else I knew. My sister and I lived with her as young kids, and then again as teenagers.

She came from a different era, marrying an army officer and having children more than 60 years ago in East Africa. She was the daughter of a village clergyman and was for many years the only Christian Thomas. Now that honour might be mine, if it is, I hope it doesnt last.

Goodnight Dear Granny. X

I'll go back for the funeral, then be back out here in the space of four days.

My pick of the hilarious Eurovision Song Contestants is SLOVENIA's Anzej Dezan. If you want a laugh go: http://www.eurovision.tv/english/index.htm

Then the Multi-media Lounge and enjoy the camp-uplifting euro-disco-pouty-posy nonsense! Sweden and Slovenia are my favourites! The winner (Finland) is absolute poo poo and the United Kingdom entry is a white man in his thirties doing a rap. I am a white man in his thirties, and we DONT rap. I do miss watching it live!!