Introductions

Let me introduce myself to you in this first posting.

I am from England but now I am teaching English in Malaysia, a country that I find fascinating. I love the hot weather, blue skies and thunderstorms (and I still talk about the weather like a true Englishman!) Malaysia has some delicious food, I particularly enjoy the range of fruit. You cannot find the same fruit in England and the bananas are so much more tasty. I also enjoy the various types of curry, which might surprise you. Many people I meet are surprised that someone from England likes spicy food, but in England, these days, the most popular dish for many people is a curry. Almost every town has an Indian restaurant and I used to eat curries in these restaurants and cook curries myself. (Now I am talking about food like a Malaysian, so I have adapted a bit!)

When I was at school I had to learn the French language but I did not do very well. Later I visited Bolivia (in South America), where I had to use Spanish to speak to people. I discovered that language learning can be fun when you use the language. I have taken courses in the Malay language and I am still trying to become more fluent. The most important thing that I need to do to improve my language is to find someone to practise with, and to get into a good routine of language learning activities.

Now let’s move on to my likes and dislikes. Some of my favourite films are Lord of the Rings and Star Wars but I also enjoy films that make you think. I am watching “24” on DVD and I am thinking of getting into “Heroes” but I keep forgetting to record it!

As for music, I like listening to U2 and Sting but I also enjoy some jazz music, and worship music.

I hate cigarette smoke, rubbish at the side of the road and losing things. I love watching films, reading novels, sitting by the sea, gardening, eating special meals with my wife, playing games with my children and exercising. But I have not done much exercise for a while. I used to do a lot of fencing (sword fighting), I like swimming and sailing and going to the gym but I have not had a good routine of exercise for a long time.

All good writing needs a conclusion, so for my conclusion I will let you in on a secret. I never used to enjoy writing at school and I still try to avoid it. However, I am beginning to learn the joy of producing a piece of writing that communicates well. In a world where we have to write a lot, particularly emails, it is a delight to find something well written. I think a blog is an effective way to improve writing ability and that is my reason for writing.