August 2002

Hi all !

Trying to remember what we have done since the last update. This has been proving more and more difficult for me since I became pregnant. My brain and memory seems to be getting mushier by the day. I was always a list person anyway but now my lists have lists of reminders!

I suppose the main news is that Frosty and I are expecting our first baby around New Year. We have no idea if its a boy or a girl and are going to wait till its born to find out. I spent the first 3 months being really ill, getting out of bed was a major feat in itself. I slept for most of the three months and was thoroughly grumpy. I think Frosty was glad that he wasn't living in the same country! Now I am feeling much better and hence the update. I detested my computer those first three months, sitting infront of it made me feel sick. It wasn't very good for my business!

The other big news was that Frosty has a new job (how many times have I written that lately!) and we are moving again. Frosty is now working for BNP Paribas. Currently the job is based in Hong Kong and in October Frosty will take up a new post in Singapore as Head of Sales Trading. Not one for ever letting me have things easy, I have spent the last 4 months between Bangkok and Hong Kong. Was left to pack up the apartment (I see a pattern emerging here) and we will move down to Singapore in October when I am 6 months pregnant. We are off to househunt for a week in September and also to find a new doctor and hospital. Looking forward to getting to Singapore now, want to get on and organise things. Whilst in Hong Kong we have had the chance to catch up with people we used to know in Bangkok. It has been great seeing Claire, Sean and Jeanne, Michael Oerleti and Tony and Noung again. Haven't done much since we have been here. Been to the peak which gives excellent views. I can't believe how built up Hong Kong is. You definitely appreciate space after you have lived here!

Well that's the main news, others things that we done since the last update was that we went to Australia for a week at Easter. It was actually a very good week, 2 years since we had last visited and Sydney hadn't changed that much. Spent most of the week catching up with Clock with lots of nights out drinking in various establishments around Sydney. Whilst Frosty was doing the usual round of seeing as many brokers as possible, this gave me chance to go to Annalises for a day and catch up with her, soaking up the sunshine on her sun deck. Also met up with Marianne my first boss in the web design industry for dinner and drinks. With my passion for fish we made another trip to the aquarium (Frosty secretly wanted to go and see the sharks again and so that he could make plenty of old trout references to me) but apart from that we didn't do any of the other touristy things seen as we have done them all before. It was great to catch up with the few really good friends we have there and seen as we are staying in Asia we should try and visit more often seen as we are half way there.

Soon after we came back from Sydney it was Thai New Year and we headed off to Khao Yai with Mawf, Phil and Noi. I have read in the papers before about the mass Thai exodus back up north for the five day holiday but have never experienced anything like it. Our usual 2 hour journey took over 7 hours and we didn't set off till nearly 11 at night in our infinite wisdom to let the majority or people leave before us. How wrong we were! For 7 hours we crawled along at a snails pace completely surrounded by pickup trucks and buses. I have never seen so many people in the back of a pickup truck before and the buses were mobile discos. If you were hoping for any sleep on one of those think again. People kept themselves cool in the 40 degree heat by having water fights with the truck or bus next to them. Could you imagine this happening in the UK? 40 degrees, no aircon, dust, and 20 people cramped into a tiny space for at least 10 hours, thankgoodness the Thais have not adopted road rage. The majority of people still had hours to go when we turned off the main road to Khao Yai which was absolutely deserted. Khao Yai was very relaxing. It was quiet, not too hot and the boys did the usual macho thing around the barbecue. No complaints from me, if it meant I didn't have to cook for once. Phil and Noi had brought enough food to feed the five thousand and Mawf and frosty enough booze to get them drunk! I really think they would have a major panic on if the booze ran out before the food. We didn't do much apart from eat, play computer games, play board games whilst drunk, read and sleep. Noi slept for nearly the whole three days we were there only getting up to eat. We have no photos of her because she was always in bed!

That's all the travelling we have done. I kind of hibernated for the first three months of being pregnant and Frosty was travelling back every other weekend from Hong Kong to see me. We managed to make Laura's school girl party, I probably looked more the part being an up the duff school girl! It was mostly the girls that dressed up, the boys didn't get into the spirit of it and show us their knees. Captain Caveman (Ron) got himself a barbecue and had a few impromptu parties in his back garden and Mark and Karen took me out for lots of great Indian meals whilst Frosty was away. If only I had have had my appetite then. I was quite distressed to have no desire to eat for over three months, as those of you who know me, know how much I love food and eating out. Fortunately that is passing now and I have access to scrumptious Marks and Spencers biscuits here in Hong Kong that I can eat without feeling guilty!

We will be in Hong Kong until October so if anyone is passing by, please look us up. It was sad to leave Bangkok again for a second time but you never know we may be back - its happened before!

Birdie x x x