Koyo Festival 2006
As promised from my previous blog entry, here are a few photos from the 2006 Koyo Festival:
IDC Countdown - the trip starts today!!!
The Time Is Now, as Moloko sang in a very average song a few years ago. In just under 10 hours I’ll be on the plane and just about ready to head off to Thailand. Changes of flights in Taiwan and a 5-hour layover in Bangkok means that I’ll hit the shores of Koh Samui first thing Saturday morning. I’ll be picked up by the guy from the dive shop, who’s going to help me find an apartment/bungalow. So how do I feel about all this… well sit back and I’ll tell you! Continue reading this entry »
PADI IDC Countdown - 7 days to go!!!
7 days, 1 week, 168 hours, a very mediocre Sting song. Whichever way you look at it, it’s not long now until my trip to Thailand and my IDC. For some slightly disconcerting reason though, my nerves have calmed somewhat and I actually have some confidence about this course. Unless I mess up on one of the rescue skills (my weak-point, and something I need a lot of practise on in the IDC-prep course), then there’s no reason I shouldn’t pass this thing. I’m pretty smart, know my diving and have been in the teaching profession for 3 years. The 2 main things which are going to play a part are nerves, and simple mistakes. Continue reading this entry »
PADI IDC Countdown – 10 days to go (plus Hiroshima report)
So I was sitting on the plane taking off from Fukuoka on Sunday and it dawned on me that the next trip I take will hopefully shape my future career and life to come. A pretty daunting prospect and one I had in my thoughts for the entire flight back to Okinawa. And in 11 days time I’ll be in Koh Samui, hopefully having found a place to stay. But that’s all in the future, and I’ve a few things to talk about in the recent past first. So let’s get straight onto business, and my Hiroshima trip. Continue reading this entry »
PADI IDC Countdown - 14 days to go (plus manta stories in this episode!)
Oh. My. God. It’s only 14 days until I head to Thailand and begin my own preparation for my PADI IDC. It’s just hit me today that I have no time at all to study everything! Am getting a little more nervous about it now, especially as this week I’ve had zero time to study at work. I’ve been marking tests all day and then busy in the evenings. When you get in at midnight, 14 hours after you left the house, you’re not really in the frame of mind to go and stick your head into a dive manual for an hour or so. Continue reading this entry »