Ok, I'm going to waffle a bit here, so brace yourself now, or look away!
First
some background on myself and these so called 'blogs'... it won't take
long as there is no background on that subject. I've never read them
and never attempted to write or 'keep' one either. I haven't looked up
the point of the blog either, but after having a nose at some random
blogs I presume it is merely publishing ones diary (sometimes on one
particular subject, rather than everything happening in an individuals
life) where it can be viewed by anyone you allow, or more often, anyone
at all!
So, why start writing one? I have two reasons for beginning this one;
- Firstly
I like writing about things. Any things. Things that I do, things that
I think, things that I see... I'm not not wholly sure why, but I think
it is to do with the fact that I like to talk a lot and there is no one
left who wants to listen! [This makes writing a good backup to talking
for me, as the words are still actually coming out!] I got on well with
the English language in school, but have never been educated in actual
'writing'. This fact will not only become immediately apparent to you
as you read my ramblings, but will remain reinforced each time you come
back for more... more fool you. My writing style is a little different,
mostly it's going to be English, but with a Bristolian twang and lots
of slang/made-up words. It should still make sense though, and if
you're willing to be patient with it, I promise not to get upset if I
don't receive any awards for my writings!
- Secondly I plan to do
some traveling in 2008 and would like to not only document it for
myself, but this medium is perfect for sharing my plans, thoughts,
adventures, and photo's with my friends and family in one easy to
update format.
Currently I am in the final stages of
planning and the only things concrete I have done is to buy a 7-flight
ticket with BA/Qantas (more on that in a separate post) and to tell my
boss that I wish to take a sabbatical. This bit was difficult for
several reasons, foremost is the respect and license that I've received
unequivocally from said boss during my time under his wing. For this I
am immensely grateful. The guidance and opportunity I've been bestowed
this past near three years have been invaluable to my own personal and
professional development and I have learned a great deal about myself
from this time (both good and bad). Because of this, it is with some
sadness that I choose to take some time out and go and see some more of
the world, but I firmly believe it has to happen some time, and this is
going to be my best opportunity to do exactly that! The business is
expanding rapidly, and some might think it foolish of me to jump at
this point. I already know that if I stay put, I'll be busy and get
paid for it. I also know that it will continue to be a success, so to
not hang onto it could be construed as pretty daft. My most driving
thought however, is that I will kick myself if I do stay put for that
one thing, and then end up finding another reason to not take this
opportunity, thus potentially missing out forever. I must strike while
the iron is hot!
I currently have nothing else stopping me from
absolving myself of the responsibility of being an adult! I'll sum that
up as briefly as possible by saying that I have been single for about
10 months now after separating from a very long
term and committed relationship. This was obviously a big turning point
in my head, with much soul searching and self doubt. I've decided that
I owe it to myself to go and see a few more things and really learn
about life and people, and I'm not going to do that any better than my
efforts so far based in the city in which I was born, by staying here
any longer...
For now this is definitely a sabbatical and I
fully expect myself to come back to the UK and throw myself onto the
daily grind again. But I'm open to ideas and will consider all
possibilities that arise carefully. It's time to do some real living!
Scary!
So, thats basically it. This blog begins.
I'll
include thoughts on planning and some more details as I work towards
it. For now I've given my notice on the flat and put the (last-minute)
wheels in motion to sell the car. I leave for Bangkok on Sunday the
20th of January 2008. I've got ten more working days left with the
company, in which time I will oversee a complete hand over to the two
new guys who I've been training up for the last month.
I will be
adding some travel logs that I wrote a few months ago when on a trip
into Asia with the company. They were written purely as a way of
remembering the parts of the trip outside of the meeting rooms on our
seriously hectic schedule. This will not only give me some small amount
of satisfaction, but will also put some actual content on this page and
give me a chance to format the page and settings as I get ready to
go... (I will back date the entries so that they appear to have the
date they were written on.)
By the way, I am not an intrepid
explorer, a seasoned back packer, or even an independent traveler of
any great experience level. I've done some traveling in the past, some
of which was alone, but this is going to be a pretty big adventure and
is both daunting and exciting for me in equal measure. Hopefully it'll
make for some interesting reading for you, as well as interesting
living for me!
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment
on any entries or to drop me an email if you like. Tips on
the English are welcome too, I'd like to learn in that area as well.
Cheers for now
Sloggs
