Ten Things about me meme

Lovely Lily (thank you so much) has nominated me for this award. I’ve had it before but you don’t see any actor turning down an Oscar because it’s their second win, do you? Anything that takes my mind off ‘the decision that still has to be made by someone else’ is super duper in my book.

The rules say I must list ten things that readers don’t know about me (oh dear, I fear three years of verbal diarrhoea might mean I’ve told you everything already. I’m rather shallow, you know.) I will try very hard to make them exclusives. OK, here goes:

1. I can’t spell diarrhoea. In fact I have blind spots about several words. –ent endings or are they –ant endings? When you have –ly endings, do you leave the ‘e‘ on at the end of the word? I have to say things to myself to get them right: ‘in-de-pen-dent’ ‘def-i-nite-ly.’ Look! How do you know to leave the 'e' on? Then there are the typo spellings: I can’t type neice (see what I did there? I know it’s niece but I can’t type it that way.)

(Oh dear, it wouldn’t be good to run out of things to say after number one, would it?)

2. One of my babies was gigantic: 10lb 10oz. (Let’s be honest, the other one at 8lb 10oz was no weeny either.) Ouch. I had her ‘naturally’ as the obstetrics world coyly call it but oh dear god it was the least natural thing ever… She came out ready for school (minus the satchel.)

3. I’m afraid of mushrooms. Husband trained me to eat the tasteless button mushrooms in the UK but then we moved to Asia. Now I’m bloody terrified. They can look like aliens or slabs of meat but, really, the texture... ewugh. Obviously I’m scared of eating them, not them jumping up and attacking me… they’re mushrooms, right?

4. If anything ever changes in my life or I develop a new interest – I go out and buy a book on it.

5. I love textiles. I’m a terrible toucher. I can’t just walk past something I have to touch it to know what it feels like.

(OK, half way …)

6. I listen, almost exclusively, to the music of Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.) 69 Love Songs is the best album ever made. Oh yes it is. (How could you not love songs with titles like ‘A Chicken With its Head Cut Off,’ ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits’ and ‘Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin’) His lyrics are beautiful and he’s incredibly, horribly talented and I’m jealous because see number 7….

7. I’m reasonably good at lots of things but not really good or brilliant at anything.

8. I’ve got a butterfly mind. In between typing 6 and starting number 7 I’ve been off to iTunes and listened to Mag Fields latest album, which I don’t have yet; and then I listened to a couple of ‘people who bought this also bought…’ This butterfly mind might account for number 7…

9. I swear much too much. I once said ‘shit’ in the (primary) school library. The little girl next to me said ‘you just swore!’ and I said ‘no I didn’t;’ then I thought for a minute and said: ‘Oh shit, I did, didn’t I?’

10. I am a bit of a hypochondriac. Lord help me if there’s ever anything really wrong with me. I blame being a doctor’s daughter. I know more than the average person (which leads my thoughts in the wrong direction) but not enough to dispel my suspicions.

11. It turns out that I can’t spell suspicions either. Apparently I also have a problem with ‘ion’ endings: I think they might be ‘ian.’ Why am I getting worse at spelling as I get older? Is it just me?

Thank you Lily.

I'd like to nominate the following five bloggers: 

Angie

DJ Kirkby

Phil

KatW

Suzanne

Pause for Award

Am I boring you all to death with stories/pictures of my holiday last week?

Is it horribly ‘me, me, me and my holiday’?

Just in case it is, I’m pausing to post an award that I got from Suzanne and Carol. I won’t make a speech but thank you ladies - it’s lovely to get award.

A nomination entitles me to pass the award on to 10 other bloggers but I know it’s been around a bit so if you like it and I visit you, please take it. If you’d like it and I don’t visit you – leave a message here and I’ll come by.

I’ve got horribly behind reading my blog feeds. I’m trying to catch up but there’s been less commenting from me than normal and the feeds keep growing every day.

A Blog Award

Lovely Debs in her shed has passed this Prolific Blogger Award on to me. I’m particularly pleased to have this award because I do love blogging and I had a dry patch recently which made me sad.

There are a few rules that come attached to it:
1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers.
2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.
3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.
4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other.

So my award goes to the following because they are all lovely and more:

1. HelenMH who blogs, twitters, works and subs like a machine.
2. SueG because I love how her blog reflects all the interests she has.
3. Fia because maybe she’s needing an award right now.
4. LizF because she flies between London and Dubai all the time and I think she must be perpetually jet lagged but still she manages to write…
5. Qwerty Queen because she’s always first on my blog come the UK morning.
6. Chris Stovell because she makes me laugh.
7. Angie because she’s been visiting my blog almost as long as I’ve had it.

Get on with it...

I think it’s time to pull myself together and return to cyber life again so I’m taking a swipe at the white noise, and getting on with stuff.

Firstly I’ve got to say thank you to everyone who texted, facebooked, emailed, telephoned or even plain wished me happy birthday in their heads. It was lovely to have so many good wishes for my birthday yesterday. I had a wicked chocolate cake; so thick was the top layer of chocolate that it refused to be cut. It just broke in big, unruly chunks of its own.

Secondly, thank you to all who left thoughtful messages on here after my last post!

Next, Liz awarded me 'The Lovely Blog' award last week, for the way I “enjoy expat life and struggle with writing.” I really appreciated it since I have struggled all over again with writing, life, you name it, I reckon I've probably struggled with it during the last week.

The rules are simple:
1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winners.

I’m going to pass it on to Crystal Jigsaw for keeping up a regular stream of quality posting – always thoughtful and often funny (see the one about the rams!)

I shared my birthday yesterday with Lane, fellow novel racer, but yesterday was a triple celebration, being with the publication day for Cally Taylor’s debut novel, Heaven Can Wait. Cally’s also a novel racer and she's going to be here at Tea Stains on Sunday as part of her blog tour so please make sure you check back to read the interview.

I will update you on my industry day too, as soon as I’ve time to write it up.

What's in a name?

Firstly, I’m very over-excited that my caption ‘won’ DJ’s Wordless Wednesday. I’ll skate over the fact that we were all winners. I can’t turn on the funny. It is the skill I’m most envious of in other people, particularly writers.

DJ’s award leads me onto wondering if anyone knows if Blogger will let me have a ‘page’ where all my blog awards are… that I can link from the sidebar? I’m very proud of every award I’ve had but on one of my rare tidy ups I had to remove them from the sidebar as it all got so cluttered. I have them sitting in a folder ready to display… but I can’t work out how to do it.

I think it might be time to don my apron, a headscarf and reach for the furniture polish for another TeaStains tidy up. My blogroll is out of date; if you have a big, showy offy widescreen, then my tea stain won’t reach all the way across it. It’s not just spring cleaning needed here…

My blog started two and a half years ago when I could hardly admit to myself, let alone out loud, that I wanted to write. It took a further eighteen months before I was writing seriously. So the blog is all a bit untidy and I suppose it needs to develop. It needs to go from a scared woman in Thailand trying to admit to herself she wants to write to a (slightly) more confident person who wants to write the best book she can.

As for publishing…I really don’t know. But, if that’s what I want, I need to start thinking about TeaStains maturing.

I started life here as JJ to avoid there being two Jens/Jennies in the Novel Racers (Spiral). And of course I wanted the anonymity too … Then I started to write my book and I learned things about publishing – such as having a platform – I became JJ Beattie because I felt if, eventually, I want to seek publication, the time I’ve spent at TeaStains will be the beginning of that. So in my big tidy up, should I remain as JJ Beattie or should I become me? Jenny Beattie?

Oh dear. I don't know and I really hate housework.

Creative Blog Award

Lovely DJ Kirkby gave me an award a week or so ago. I didn’t get around to displaying it; so here it is. In return I must list seven things that I love and pass the award onto seven creative bloggers that I admire.

So, seven things, huh? I am going to exclude people from my list otherwise it would be a list of seven people or groups of people which mightn’t be very interesting. Should I exclude tea? And books? You all know I love them… Maybe, maybe… here’s an idea: my criteria shall be things I haven’t already told you I love…

So, drumroll please, in no particular order…

1. Cats
2. Custard Creams
3. The Sea
4. Gin
5. Sunday lunch esp Roast Lamb and mint sauce
6. Photoshop
7. Lavender

Now I am supposed to pass the award on to seven creative bloggers that I admire but because I can’t do anything I’m told to do… There are five blogs that I go to… usually as a lurker… for the quality of their photos. I go and sigh a lot and wish I could take pics half as good. *Sigh* I don't know if any of them really 'do' blog awards, but at least they'll know I appreciate them even if I don't make comments on their sites.

The first site is Kingsdowner. I found this blog when I was looking for visuals of the Kent countryside for research for my novel. I might have grown up in the countryside but I’m a bit of a thicky when it comes to plants and creatures. Kingsdowner is an expert. I’ve never commented there because I’m so in awe.

The second site is Nomadic Tendencies. I think Ange found me first and I spotted her on my stat details… She’s an Aussie living in Thailand; she posts a picture a day on a Thai theme. Ange has a lovely eye for composition and a first rate eye for colour.

The third choice, some of you may already know, Uphilldowndale. I can’t remember how I found this blog. She lives in a truly gorgeous part of England and her photos are spectacular. Do go and have a look.

Fourthly, Yesbut’s pictures I found when googling ‘nude in a scarf’ for this post. The picture was so much better than mine: *sigh* I have made an assumption that Yesbut is female but I could be wrong. Update: Oh deary, deary me. I am wrong; Yesbut is a man, a most manly male man. Big apologies Yesbut. Tee hee: you were most gracious about your sex change, and I DO live in Thailand...

Finally, and fifth, is our Spiral Jen at Inspiral Daze. Living not far from where my book is set, her pictures are mostly of the natural environment: pulled right out at a landscape or right up close to the zoomed in landscape of a flower or leaf.

More bits and bobs

• This is definitely taking research too far… particularly the penultimate paragraph! So nearly a big ‘ouch’.

• Liz has been to the Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature in Dubai and she is doing some great write ups from her notes – go here to check out some more. This post, following a talk from Kate Mosse (in conversation with Paul Blezard) had me cheering loudly when I read Kate Mosse did not become a writer until she was 43! YAY TO THAT.

• And finally, gorgeous Angie has given me an award. I am very touched by her lovely words and those that come with the award.

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I’d like to pass it on to Leigh, HelenMH and Karen.

• No doubt as a result of my smugness, there’s already a suspicious pile up of paper on my desk. EEEEK. How did that happen? Must deal with it; must deal, now! Breathe! Breathe...

Last night and Awards

I went to see The Duchess last night with a friend. OMG, who’d want to have lived in those days?

I’d never been to the Apex Scala cinema before - it was the only cinema showing The Duchess – but I spotted it from the skytrain last weekend. So we knew where to go but we were in for a surprise when we got there. It was built in the 1960s and hasn’t been renovated since. This makes for an authentic movie going experience… The building was deserted (there were only around 20 of us in the auditorium.) The attendants were wearing bright yellow Crimplene jackets - shades of Butlins in 1973 – and jolly nearly outnumbered paying guests. The basic ticket was £1.90 or you could push the boat out, as we did, for £2.30 (see left.) Apart from being freezing inside it was perfectly comfortable.


****

Thank you very much Leigh for this award: The Superior Scribbler Award. (Update: also kindly received from Debs and nearly awarded from Rachel too.)

The Rules
1. Every superior scribbler must name five other super scribblers.
2. Link back to the author and the name of the blog that gave you the award.
3. Display the award and link to this post, which explains the award.
4. Add your name to the Mr Linky List, some way down this page, as a record of who the superest scribblers are.

I must pass it on to most deserving super scribblers too. I pass it on to Angie, Hesitant Scribe, Helen, Yvonne and I would’ve passed it on to Calistro too as she’s been inspiring and partially responsible for my finally getting on with my writing. But she’s already had it.

Now to prove that I am most definitely a superior scribbler, I must go and write more than the measly 70 words I managed yesterday.

Sycophant - ooh I love that word

Thank you to Cally for this lovely Busy Bee award. Cally's given it to me because I don't "seem to stop! :o)" (I think she might mean I don't stop going on and on about wanting to write, or am I being a bit paranoid?)

This is lovely; I'm glad to be busy but frustrated to be so busy I can't seem to get on with the writing. (I am going to though, as soon as I've cleared the design decks.)

And, if I'm allowed a little reciprocal backscratching in my Oscar Busy Bee speech, I'd have to say Cally would win my industry award. Not only does she actually write and edit etc - as opposed to my talking about it - but she has a full time job; commutes a long way to work(not for much longer); appears to know the world wide web inside out and backwards (because she's always posting valuable articles I have to go and look at, and daft stuff too!)

I'd like to pass it on to Liz who was having a moment of despair last time I looked. I really hope that's all it is because Liz has always been a huge role model to me. Her industry, like Cally's , never faulters; her diligence puts me to shame and her constant attention and generosity to the Novel Racers and their adminstration is the best.

Turning corners

Reasons to be cheerful

Today I feel nearly normal health wise. Well, apart from an interesting electrical crackly noise in my right ear every time I swallow. I am a bit … you know, snottily congested still.

During the day I went to look at my RSS feeds and found Lane had updated and I discovered she’d bestowed an award on me. I beamed big and wide. Thank you Lane. I bestow it on Hesitant Scribe, who is just brilliant, brave, honest ... I could go on, but don't want to embarrass her.

I told Husband I’d got an award, and he asked if it was “a miserable sod award? ;-)” because my last two postings had been a bit depressive. “I was sick” I said, but even his jibes didn’t stop me feeling pleased.

I had a meeting this morning and I picked up quite a number of jobs, but my web assistant is working out very nicely after only two lessons. I must be a bit of a dolt because it took me much longer than that. But today I don’t care if I’m a twit because my web assistant is working out and that makes me smile ear to ear.

Son was a vile teenager from the Dark Side this morning getting up for school, but when he came home this afternoon he was charming boy. Lovely. You can never be sure which boy will turn up.
I started writing the novel the day before yesterday and that bloody demon came back BUT I persevered in little bits and yesterday he was quieter. Today I did some writing (planning, really) but he was quiet. And I feel less crap. So that makes me feel good.

This morning I went investigating after Laurie raved in her blog about a programme she’d seen on Pete Seeger. She was enthusing about how great it was even if you don’t like folk music … which I do, but know very little about. Then she mentioned some of the other people on the programme one of whom was Johnny Cash, who I love. So I went surfing to YouTube and I found this, below. It produced a great big smile from me this morning and I’ve been singing and grinning it ever since. Now, I’m not old enough to have been around when it was recorded, but it was one of the few singles my parents had.

And finally, I can't believe I've worked out how to get this YouTube thingy here. I know I'm supposed to be a webmaster, but you know, in this non profit, voluntary sector, beggars can't be choosers. So they got me and my IT doltery. Very cheering and webmasterly.

I'm back

I’m back.

And, I’ve had this rather uncomfortable feeling all day, that I couldn’t quite identify … what is it? Why do I feel like I’ve misplaced both my ‘phone and my handbag? Why? I’ve got my bag, and I’ve got my non-blackberry stand in … so… what is it? And then, I’ve remembered:

My children, my babies are flying to England tonight to have a three week Christmas holiday without me! Aaaaagggh.

They’re all packed up now: suitcases full, but not bursting. Daughter has written instructions for wrapping presents – a couple of birthdays in there as well as Christmas – just to keep us on our tippy toes. I think I shall feel better when they’ve actually gone – right now, I keep wondering if I can get any other presents. No. No, I can’t.

It’s all done but I’ve still got me to pack, and I’ve got some website stuff to do, three pieces of artwork to prepare and email. I think Husband will be quite glad to see the back of me on Saturday: I’ve spent the last four weeks in a blind panic.

The lovely Cathy at My New Notebook has awarded me a lion, which I’m really flattered about – thank you very much, Cathy. I have to award it to five others, but I’m going to come back and post about it tomorrow cos I'm so tired I need a lie down…

IT Geekery and Blogging Awards

After two years in Bangkok there are fewer times that I feel foreign. I mean clearly I am still an outsider: I look different and I only speak a bit of their language so I am often plunged into situations where I have to play charades to make myself understood. But I have got used to the fact that the majority of people around me are speaking a language that in the main, I don't understand, so it feels normal.

Today however I went to buy myself an external hard drive ... oh there I drop it - into the conversation as though I have any idea what it means. Normally I would wait until the weekend and send Husband out to buy it, but I was feeling confident (and wanted it NOW) so I braved the IT Mall. Yes, here in Bangkok we have two malls dedicated to ITy things: one is known as Fortune and the other as Pantip Plaza (affectionately renamed Pantstip by me).

I went to Fortune because it's a bit easier to get to on the MRT (underground) and oh my god, it was horrible. Never have I felt so like I've landed among alien intelligence: these stalls and shops are terrifying, full of gadgets, boxes and wires with names that I don't understand, with words that don't mean anything to me - but that's not because they're in Thai. Those IT words all appear in what you and I would recognise as English so it sounded something like this:

โปรดระวังการติดต่อซื้อขาย password-protected, Web-based project log กับชาวต่างชาติ โดยเฉพาะจากประเทศ Architected Rapid Application Development ทางอัฟริกา ทั้งจากประกาศขายสินค้า Data ที่ราคาถูกกว่าปกติ หรืออีเมล RATs Remote Administration Trojans ที่ติดต่อเข้ามา เพื่อขอซื้อสินค้าEmail ในราคาที่สูงกว่าปกติ เพราะอาจถูกหลอกลวงได้ ท่านสามารถดู Internet Provider ได้จากเว็บ.

Do you get it? Why I was among aliens? It wasn't being surrounded by Thais, it was being surrounded by the computer geeks...

***
On a more positive note, the lovely JonM has awarded me a 'thoughtful blogger award' for being polite to him at Caroline's launch - my parents will be so proud! Thank you Jon. My five nominations are: a Thoughtful Blogger Award goes to Stray for all the generous and lovely IT geekery she did to promote In Search of Adam for Caroline; Liz Fenwick and Helen each get an Inspirational Blogger Award because they both get on with the job (writing) without all the fannying around that I do; Jen at Spiral Skies gets an Inspirational Blogger Award too, because she makes me laugh while she's fannying around; Carol, at Only In Thailand gets a Charity Blogging Award because although her blog doesn't go on and on about it, she does lots of good work getting volunteers into charities. Now you all need to go here to find out how to get that coveted prize and make your own nominations.