You Don't Miss Your Water Till The Well Runs Dry

Coming back to Australia for five weeks has to be one of the best things I have done this year (not including any European travel destinations).

Landing back in Perth, it felt like I have never left, which can both be a positive and negative thing. For a start, the familiar faces and sights are a bonus! Secondly, as everyone says, the weather in Perth has to be one of the best in the world! No over-exaggeration!

Coming back to attend two lots of weddings was the main excuse, but also as an excuse to see my family and friends. After 8 months of absence from Perth, I expect to see a complete change in everyone. In reality, this wasn't the case... I guess it is positive in a way as that means I haven't missed out too much and I can nicely slot back in my friendship groups.

I have to say that being away for 8 months have let me clear a lot in my mind. One important realisation is how much I have taken my family and friends for granted. You don't realise how important they are till they aren't around you (hence the correlation to my post title). Secondly, being away from Australia, a place I have lived in my whole life is a lot more awesome then I thought it was. You would always hear me saying to my housemates: "They only do this in Australia..." or "You would love Australia...".

Don't get me wrong, I love England and being away from home, but it has made me more appreciative of all the things I have. I am the most content I have ever been in my life and I really hope that those around me can feel that too.

So if you are reading this, pause for a sec and think about what you have. Stop that whinging and complaining and learn to appreciate all those around you. Don't take things for granted and be satisfied with what you have achieved and own. Oh I feel so wise at the moment :)

Chapter Twentytwelve- Sydney

I can't remember how many times I have visited Sydney over the years but I guess this time it is more to visit friends, rather than being a tourist. I didn't even bring my camera! I'm very lucky to have met a group of friends that I knew through Sam and it certainly is different to come to Sydney this time round without my best mate around.

Again, it feels a bit different visiting Sydney this time as I lived in a suburb (with my friend) away from the city and was given a more local view of Sydney. One of the first visits was to 'The Grounds' which is a new hip cafe located in Alexandria that was voted as Sydney's best brunch cafe. The cafe is located in an industrial area which i guess makes it even more 'exclusive'. As it was a Saturday, my friends and I expected a long wait and boy was the weight long (70 minutes to be exact)!

Another interesting place I visited was 'Sculptures by the Sea' which was along Bondi Beach. Back in Perth, there has been a similar exhibit which unfortunately I have not visited before. I really liked how the sculptures were spread along the cliffside which made you also explore and interact with the beautiful surroundings. Some examples taken on my phone:

Another highlight of my Sydney trip was catching up with a friend that I had met when I was in Turkey. As she had a car, she was able to show me places that I was unable to access by public transport such as Botany Bay, Cogee Beach and the neigbourhood she lived in. She also organised dinner at a restaurant in Bondi called Hurricane to eat the most delicious ribs I ever had! She also organised a 4 hour bike ride around the city, starting from Centennial Park and going through the local streets of Sydney. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sydney from another perspective.

Sunset at Botany Bay

As my friends had to work during the weekday, I did my own exploration, starting with brunch each morning around the local neighbourhood of Sydnham. To be honest, I didn't really remember visiting a lot of places but I did remember going to the Fish Markets to have my Oysters!
In a way, I was trying to imagine seeing myself live in Sydney and see if this city could become my future residence...

A dozen of fresh oysters were barely enough...

I'm not really sure when I will be back in Sydney but the next time I'm back could be when I decide to move there?

My Architecture Encounter- Open House London

I've always been into architecture since I was a young kid. I remember whenever I had the opportunity I would always draw the skyscrapers that make up the Perth skyline. Being in London, I always come across interesting buildings but most do not allow public entry. So when I read in the newspaper about Open House in London, I immediately got excited! Open House in London is basically when over 700 properties over the city is open for only 1 weekend and is free for public viewing. Looking at the website, I narrowed down to 30 properties I really wanted to see. Unfortunately, I was only able to fit in 10 properties over the 2 days. Below are the ones I managed to see (not in any particular order):

55 Baker Street
This building used to be a department store but has been transformed into an office building. It has three glass in-fills between the building voids and one of them creates the dramatic entry. A shame we weren't allowed to explore more of the building apart from the lobby.

Artchive- Phillip Hughes Studio

This is a private art studio which was extended at the back of the building with a sloping glass roof. The bathroom is actually in the lounge room made from concrete and ceramic tiles to create an enclosed "cave".

City Hall
This building is home to the Mayor of London and deserves to be called a landmark in itself. As you can see in the picture, one half of the building is made up of a spiralling staircase that allowed you to see views of River Thames. I was lucky enough to go to the viewing platform (at the top of the building) which is usually only open during private events, to get a glimpse of the London skyline!

Container City
This is situated in a hidden wharf at East India which contains London's only lighthouse. The building is constructed out of ship containers to create a centre for the arts. This building was one of my favourites as it was creative and original. The wharf also had an awesome American diner that sold cheap burgers and hot dogs which I will definitely revisit!

Ed's Shed/ Sunken House
This house literally looked like a wooden cube at street level. The building is clad in a cedar rain screen and contains a vertical single window at the front of the house to create a 'minimalistic' look. My favourite area of the house was at the basement level where two large windows frame the courtyard, looking out to a beautiful tree (not sure what variety the tree is).

Hidden House
This is literally what you call a 'dream' home. This house has been featured on Grand Designs and was only completed last year. The house is made up of four levels and has it's own night club dance floor on the bottom level. It also has a 'wellness' centre that consists of a sauna and spa complete with background relaxation music. This house was innovative and inspirational in terms of what can be achieved in such a tight space. The house can only be accessed through the wall at the end of a cul-de-sac as it was built on a former neighbour's backyard. Guess what? It can be building from only 850k (pounds)... Bargain!

One Bishops Square
This building was not what I expected it to be. On the outside it looked like a normal office building, but it was the inside that really stood out. The building is a creation of Foster and Partners (if you are into buildings then you will know how awesome their designs are!). The building contains two voids, each containing a distinctive art installation. The first installation is made up of vertical flowers that move through the use of magnets and will open up when it senses sunlight. The second installation is made up of vertical 'curtains' of LED light bulbs. The main highlight of this building was the rooftop garden which has extensive views of the city skyline surrounding Liverpool Street. I can see myself working in this building...

Ravensbourne
This unique building is an art and design university situated in Greenwich. It is a next door neighbour of the O2 Arena. On the outside, it is made up of circular windows of various sizes and clad with metal 'jigsaw' pieces that fit the building perfectly. Inside, it contains interlinked floors of open and closed learning spaces. This is definitely one of the coolest university buildings I have seen!

Roca London Gallery
Unfortunately I did not make it in time to view the internal of this showroom but the outside was created using curved pieces of concrete. The showroom displays bathroom products so I guess the outside of the building was inspired by the rippling effect of water?

Village Underground

This was the first place I visited on my two day tour of Open London. I remember walking down a normal side road and upon finding the address I had to enter the actual site by walking up a set of spiralling stairs in a small courtyard. The land is actually on top of an abandoned railway viaduct. It uses recycled tube carriages to create space for artist studios. On the top carriage, if you look outside the drivers area at the front, it shows views of the surrounding street so it feels like you are 'driving' above ground. This building shows a creative and sustainable use of space.

30 St Mary Axe 
I was very disappointed I could not go into the building as there was a 5 hour wait to enter. The queue was unbelievable! The building also known as 'The Gherkin',  is a 40 storey office building in London's financial district. The building is distinctive and has a glaze dome at the top which shows a 360 degree view across the city.

For those people in Western Australia, Perth will have its first Open House event from the 1st to 3rd of November 2012. Unfortunately, I will be in Sydney during that time and I have heard the new Perth Arena will be open for public viewing!

I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to explore buildings I would never have the chance to. I believe the whole event allowed the public to appreciate architecture and their surroundings.

12 Days in Turkey

Get ready for a long read on my awesome trip to Turkey!

Turkey was never on the top of my list of places to travel to but after hearing numerous stories from people, as well as getting a good deal from the TNT travel show, I decided to sign up with Travel Talk on their 12 days 'Best of Turkey' trip.

Day 1: Istanbul
I arrived in Istanbul in the afternoon and was picked up by Travel Talk to the Prince hotel. I was actually impressed with the hotel, especially when I went with a tour company. It was a 4 star hotel with Internet and all the basics, so no complaints there. The only thing was the poor soundproofing but caused a bad night's sleep due to a noisy neighbour! We met downstairs for a briefing on the trip before we headed out for dinner. The tour guide called Yavuz took us to this awesome lane way where we sat down to have my first Turkish dinner.

Day 2: Istanbul
I started off with a buffet breakfast hotel with Olives, eggs and other Turkish foods. Then we headed to our first destination which was the old town square where the German fountain was. We then walked to the Blue Mosque. I was expected the Blue Mosque to be a structure covered internally and externally with Blue tiles, but that was not the case. When I arrived, the first thing i saw was the six imposing towers surrounding the domed roof. Yavuz told our group that this was the only mosque in Istanbul with 6 towers. A condition to enter the mosque was that shoes had to be removed before entry. And what would you expected if 100's of people entered all at once on a hot day? Stinky feet smell! Putting the smell aside, internally the blue mosque was beautiful! Surrounded by low hanging lights, there were blue tiles in several areas, hence giving it the name.
After we visited the Blue Mosque, we went to a bigger and more beautiful mosque/ church called Hagia Sophia Museum which was not as famous. This structure had such an interesting history to it relating to both the Islam and Christianity religions. You really need to be here to learn all about it.

Day 3: Gallipoli
Hearing stories about Gallipoli in primary school, I always wanted to travel to this place to pay respect to those who lost their lives in the war. Our tour group left the hotel early in the morning for a long drive to the different sites relating to the Gallipoli war. The first stop was North Cove, where the Anzac Day ceremony was held each year.

Day 4:Troy and Pergamum
We work up early to visit Troy. The only thing I remembered about Troy as a kid was the wooden horse that was brought into the city. Arriving at the site was a bit underwhelming, as I thought the horse would be bigger. In addition the ancient city of Troy was also a lot smaller than I thought it would be and there really wasn't much to see, apart from a few small ruins.
After visiting Troy, we went back on the bus to our next destination: Pergamum. Although Pergamum was less famous than Troy, the site was a lot more interesting and bigger. Now this was what I call an ancient city! Looking at the pillars and underground tunnels, it showed how creative and smart the early settlers were.

Day 5: Ephesus
Ephesus has to be one of the biggest and best preserved ancient cities in the world! After being underwhelmed by Troy we went to this ancient city with so many different areas to see. The creators of this city is so smart in considering so many things such as having a waterfall in the communal toilets to counteract the 'sounds' made by other users! Ephesus really would have been a beautiful city in terms of architecture if all buildings remained intact.

Day 6: Fethiye
We woke up later than usual after a long night out in Fethiye. With the remaining people hungover and exhausted, we went to our first adventure of the day and properly the most interesting yet: The Saklikent gorges. It was not what I expected at all. We basically went through a deep crack formed by an earthquake. The gorge had a stream running through it, and at times the water went past our knees.

Day 7 to 12: Marmaris, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ihlara and Istanbul.
I can continue going on and on about what I did for each day of the trip but I'm sure you are probably sick of reading and I believe the pictures below will speak a thousand words! (It also is my old self being lazy as well typing up my travels) There were so many amazing sights and things I experienced for the remaining duration of the trip but definitely some highlights included the Fairy chimneys, hot air balloon ride and the underground city in Cappadocia.

I cannot say enough on how amazing this country is and how much more I appreciate Turkey and its culture. Travel Talk really has impressed me with the accommodation, sights, our knowledgeable travel guide (Yavuz) and the people I met on this trip! I'm going to wait for the next airfare specials to fly back to Turkey again!

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

 Hagia Sophia Museum

Looking outside Hagia Sophia Museum

At the ANZAC memorial

The famous horse at Troy

The beautiful ruins of Pergamum

Ephesis

A city carved out of stone on a cliffside!

Where was this again? 

I will never forget my balloon ride in Cappadocia!

Celebrating a successful balloon ride

Beautiful ceramics in Turkey

Turkish food!

Music- The World's Greatest by R. Kelly

One day, I was supply teaching and was taking my students into the hall for a special assembly. As our class entered the hall, this song was being played in the background. The students were told that a teacher was leaving, and as a surprise, the whole school will be singing this song to the teacher on her last day. As the students begin to sing the song as a rehearsal, it started giving me chills up my spine. It doesn't do justice with me telling you this; it has to be something you have to experience yourself in a hall with 500 students singing this song together.

It gave me memories of when I left my teaching post in Geraldton. I remember the principal calling out myself and some of my fellow teachers to the front of the assembly. I recall how sad it was to be at the front. If the school sang this song to me at that moment, I'll probably be crying my head off and it doesn't matter whether I am a guy or not.

Teaching has given me a mixture of good and bad memories (mostly good). Although I am regaining my passion through supply teaching in London, I can't see myself having my own classroom again. Last week I was offered a teaching position for the next academic year for a school I have been doing supply with, as the deputy said she was impressed with what I was doing. However, I rejected the offer.  There is too much pressure from others and myself to be a teacher. I don't want to relive what I went through last year and how depressed I was in my job.
I do put my hats off to all teachers around the world and I do think that we are ONE of the greatest professions in this world (as perfectly described by this song)!

Homesick

This post is probably a less positive one as I've been sick for the past 4 days and have been told that I have a chest infection... Already had to cancel two days worth of work and will take tomorrow off too. Not a good thing when I'm trying to save enough money to last me through my six week mid year break in July...

I have nearly hit the 3 month mark for being in London and although things have been going smoothly, I was quite home sick last week and especially now when I'm sick. I have been on and off sick since arriving in London. When I think I have nearly recovered, I get sick again. This time round, I have been the sickest... I miss having dad cook me congee (rice porridge) and checking on me when I'm unwell + sis doing house chores  for me.

It is only when you are this far away you realise how much you have taken your friends and family for granted.  I miss being in that safety net where you got people around you to care for you when you are sick or down and  being able to have reliable friends you have known for years to hear you out. I remember experiencing this previously when I was working in Geraldton two years ago, where I was constantly missing those back home. The only difference was that I often drove (5 hrs driving) back home on the weekends to see them when I was in Geraldton, but here it will take me 17 hours by plane to go home.

To be fair, I've only been here for 3 months so I'm allowed to be homesick right?
On the plus side, I've made some awesome friends here, live in a house surrounding by friendly house mates and have met someone special who takes good care of me :) Not only that, I have decided to put stable yet stagnant life on hold to come all the way here to England to experience the sights and sounds that Europe has to  offer! What more can I ask for?

Anyway before I start rambling on, 2012 is still one of the best years in my life and I can't ask for more! So remember to be grateful for what you have and learn to appreciate everything you have around you (well that's what I'm trying to live by at the moment and I hope you are too...).

Ireland

It's been two weeks since my trip to Ireland and I finally have the time to blog about this amazing place. I'm not going to give you an in depth review of this country as it has to be a place you need to experience yourself.

I went with a tour company called Paddywagon Tours, after being recommended by a friend who also went with the same company. I got 25% off the 6 day trip after signing up at the TNT fair which was a bonus!

The tour covered several cities including Dingle, Cork, Galway, Belfast, Dublin, Derry and lots of sight seeing places. I really wish I can spend more time in each city but I'm sure I will be back in this amazing country in no time.

The highlight of the trip had to be the Black Taxi tour of Belfast. You basically go in a cab and the taxi driver gives you an insight on the great divide between the Catholics and Palestine in Belfast. The can driver said they all had lost someone in the conflict and wanted to give people a view from both sides.

I was able to meet a great bunch of people from different countries whom I hung out with during the 6 day trip. We went to pubs together, clubbing and shared a dorm together. The last point was really important as on the second night of the trip we were stuck with some "gappies" who were having a conversation at 2 in the morning...

I can't wait till my next trip which will be a day tour of Bath and Stonehenge. I'll keep you all posted! Just some pictures of Ireland for you to devour on...

The beautiful seaside town of Dingle.

The site of the Blarney Castle

Blarney castle- The interior was really interesting!

The awesome bunch I met in Ireland

I can't remember where this was but it is heritage listed...

The wall that divides two communities in Belfast

Music- Drenched by Wanting

I've been wanting to start sharing some music I have been listening to. I first heard this song through a movie trailer: 'Love in a Buff'. The singer,Wanting Qu, isn't a well known artist but she writes her own songs and has just been signed up by an independent Canadian company who will release her first album in April. 

I always believe that every situation in life can be represented by a song and I guess when I came across this song, I was experiencing something positive. Enjoy! 

Life as a Supply Teacher

I've been wanting to write a post about my experiences as a supply teacher, just for those who are curious about what I am doing or for those who are interested in becoming a supply teacher in London...
By the way, supply teaching (as known in England) is basically relief teaching.

It all started with me going to a seminar in Perth about supply teaching in London. The seminar was organised by a recruitment agency called Protocol and they gave me a glimpse of what it was like to work in London as a teacher. They basically had me sold by the end of the presentation!
A few months later, Protocol organised a telephone interview with me about my teaching experiences and to also sort out some paper work before I left Australia.
When I arrived in England, they set up an induction for me. They helped me organise my registration, assisted with opening a bank account and told me all I need to know about supply teaching. Three words: all too easy! Signing up with a teaching agency before I left was part of the reason why moving to London was quite a smooth process...

Well I've been doing supply teaching for over a month now and I have worked at probably 5 to 10 different schools. It was interesting how I was pre-warned by so many people that teaching in London was going to be challenging and difficult. However, I haven't really had too much trouble apart from one or two classes which still  was manageable. It could be the teaching experience I have accumulated over the 3 years, especially when those  classes I taught back in Australia were even more challenging... I'm not sure why, but I have been given a lot of supply teaching at infant schools (Reception to year 2 classes). I was initially quite worried about teaching younger kids but I seemed to have enjoyed them more than teaching the older kids! The students in England are basically the same as any student in the world. Most are naturally curious, especially when you tell them your surname is Chan or you are Australian, some are cheeky and all of them have the typical English 'posh' accent. The schools in London are very multicultural, with over half of the students in each class coming from Indian or European backgrounds. I remember teaching a class where there was only 1 Caucasian child and the remaining students were from ethnic backgrounds.

The pay with supply teaching is not as much as what I get paid back in Australia but according to London standards, it is pretty good... I have been able to survive on the money earned to pay for my accommodation, food and even save a little for my upcoming holidays...

The best thing with supply teaching is the flexibility. This means that if I only want to work for 3 days in a week then I just let the agent know, and they will find work for me on the days I am available. The downside is that on days you are not given work, you will need to be on standby mode.  This involves you waking up early and getting yourself ready to work. Usually they call you between 7am and 8am in the morning. If they call you, they expect you to be out the door straight away and arrive at the school by 8:15, which at times is not quite possible. I recently was called at 8:45 to work, even though schools usually start at 8:55. I guess they were that desperate for a supply teacher, even though I said I was still literally in bed. I ended up getting ready in 10 minutes and arrived at the school at 9:40! Talk about being efficient!

I have just been offered a PPA position to teach 4 days a week for the whole of next term which means I will have a long weekend (Sat, Sun and Mon) every week! That will mean the possibility of short trips to Paris, Amsterdam etc... being on the cards! For those who don't know what PPA means, it is basically a support role where I will release teachers from their class so they can do their planning. The best thing with this position is that I will not have to plan, deal with parents and write reports!!!!!!!

So to sum it up, supply teaching is a good way to earn some money and to fund for your holiday abroad. It has also helped me regain my passion in teaching which might be because of the reduced stress from not being a full time classroom teacher?

UPDATE: A modified version of this has just been published by my recruitment agency: Protocol Education and I will get paid for it! Bonus :)

You still get drawings from students as a supply teacher!

Life in London: Update 2

I still remember that the same time last year I was in Perth focusing on work and nothing else. I never imagined that a year later I would end up living in London! Again, I can't say enough of how blessed I am to be here and that things do happen for a reason.

It has been over a month of living in England now. I am so used to living here now that it naturally feels like my second home. So much has happened over the month, both good and bad, but it has been a great learning experience for me.

It was interesting how numerous people warned me before I came to London to be prepared for the tough classrooms I will encounter. However, so far I have had a regular supply of work at different schools and have enjoyed teaching all the classes given to me. I actually feel passionate about teaching again! I guess it has helped because of not having to deal with the planning side of things and dealing with parents. I know I may eventually experience a really challenging class, but fingers crossed that the good classes will last a bit longer...
My agency has just sent in my CV for one of the schools I do supply teaching in for a 2-day-per-week support role.Hope that I might get that role!

I have made some friends here and am lucky to also have great house mates I can socialise and make jokes with. I was recently invited to a party which I thoroughly enjoyed and have constantly met new people along the way. Saying that, I do miss my friends and family back in Perth and it is such a shame that the 8 hours difference have made it so hard for me to keep in contact with them. I'm glad that there are a few friends who do make an effort to keep in touch with me, but I guess I need to do the same and make an initiative with everyone I'm close to back home.

I have started attending a Baptist church for the past two weeks and although it cannot be compared to my church back in Perth, I am glad my faith has been put back on track!

Anyway, my travel adventures will be kicking off very soon, as I have booked a six day tour to Ireland in early April, followed by a twelve day trip around Turkey in July. I had scored them through good deals from a travel expo I recently went to with my house mates. If I don't end up getting my position for two days a week as a support teacher, then I will book an eleven day trip around Europe in April. A very exciting time indeed!

There are some other exciting news as well, but I'll hold onto that till it is the right time to share with my close friends and family.
I have to say that the pessimistic and stressful Jason has taken a break. It is now replaced with the originally optimistic and happy version, and I'm sure it is here to stay for quite a while.

Can you see my excitement and optimism?

Life in London: Update 1

It has already been two weeks+ since I moved to London from Perth. I have to say that everything has fitted in really nicely with accommodation and work already sorted out within the first two weeks of being here. For the first six days, I stayed at a budget hotel near Liverpool Street which not only was in a good location, but the hotel itself was modern, clean (just a tad bit too small). Straight after checking out of the hotel last Friday, I moved into my new house-share in South Woodford with 5 other house mates. Although all my house mates are girls, they are all easy to get along with (with two of them being Aussies) so it's all good!

My bedroom

My backyard on the day I arrived! No more snow now...

 I haven't yet been around the whole suburb yet, but it is a nice suburb with tree lined streets and town houses stuck side by side. My house is only 10 minutes by foot to the nearest tube and takes around 25 minutes to the city.

So what have I been doing for the last couple of weeks? Well, for the first two weeks I did some sight seeing (as tourists would usually do) mostly by foot. I usually like having my headphones plugged in my iphone with music such as "Falling away" by Big Scary and "Boston" by Augustana and discovering new sights as I walk. Here is a quick snapshot of some places I have been:

A must see landmark if you are a tourist: Big Ben

Guess who lives behind these gates? 

Tower bridge- A really unique bridge matched with beautiful surroundings

The scenic town of Richmond, only 75 minutes from where I live

I promised my kids (ex students) that I will go on the London eye but have
yet to find  someone to go on with me yet...

A royal park in Richmond with my friend Christos in the background

The weather is a bit of a bummer though. I guess getting used to an average 30+ degree heat in Perth and coming to an average of 4 degrees in London, I do need time to adjust to it right? However, seeing snow twice since I have arrived in England is all worth it! The whole landscape and atmosphere changes when it snows!

I started my relief teaching job today and am fully booked for the rest of this week! I actually don't mind relief teaching as most teachers have everything prepared for you, and you basically go in and take over their class for the day. I'm glad that my first relief teaching today actually went well and the students I had in my grade two class were really adorable! Still trying to get used to the younger kids being so clingy though... (not good for a male teacher). Hopefully the jobs will keep coming through!

I know some people who are thinking of or will be travelling overseas. For me, I think it is the BEST decision I have ever made in my life (not exaggerating). Although I have been here for only a couple of weeks, I have seen so much and done things I would not usually do back at home. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone a couple of times and has continued to help me grow as a person. Carl if you are reading this, the message you have sent me has really gave me the courage and inspiration to do a lot! So thanks again for the encouragement :)

I'm homesick quite often, but am getting better at dealing with that as I continue to lead my life abroad. I'm thankful that having such a bad past year has helped me appreciate every single day I have now. I'll keep you all posted as time goes by. Take care!