Long, with lots of pictures.

The year 11s are taking a test right now, and they're listening to this HORRID piece of 20th century music that sounds like sound effects from a bad sci-fi movie.

I am so utterly exhausted; after wednesday, then I stayed at school fairly late last night, and slept badly, and now I want a new neck. Mine is completely stiff on one side. And even if I'm not moving it, stretching it, it just has this dull ache. I forsee a bath with painkillers tonight, if it doesn't improve.

So, Wednesday was the World Consular Fair Gala Dinner. This is the first conference they've had in Southeast Asia, for all the honorary consuls. Dimplomats, basically. There were 70-odd diplomats there, from 60+ countries. We were there because the Chairman of the school, Dr. Virachai, is a member of the group, is hosting parts of it, etc etc. I'm not entirely sure all, but that's the gist. So, naturally, he brings his students in. It's also been a thing that's been weighing on our minds for awhile, simply because it is high-profile.

We left school at 1- I had to leave the test and work for the last hour class on Wednesday, which annoyed me as they're the group that will act up. Consequently, I think some of them cheated on the test. I can't confirm, and they didn't do so well anyways. I'm not pleased with them. I'm not pleased with the test results in general, but that's another story. We got there around 1:30, and Kraig got the music students on stage first to rehearse. The boarding girls were there to do some Thai Dancing, and they didn't have to do much of anything for about an hour, so I stayed with them, as they ate desserts from the fancy luncheon that had just gotten out. I made an observation that a Thai sweet tasted like an air freshener. It did! Flowery tasting, almost artificial.

The first section was playing during the cocktail hour, where people were arriving. The students and Kraig played wonderfully, and I did my part well. I had to look pretty and take pictures, and play the guiro on 'Girl from Impanema'. Not difficult. I was wearing my new black dress from Singapore, and a salmon-pink shawl my mom bought me when she was here. Kraig was playing with them on his Bari Sax, because there's not a single cello in the entire school. We can't fill out a string quartet with just students.

Best thing- I'm there taking pictures, for myself and for the bulletin board in the music department. Khun Miki and Khun Ice are whispering to each other, and then Miki asks me if I have a lot of memory on my camera. Umm . . . enough. Not a whole lot, but a decent amount. (256 mb, not a lot!). Apparently Josh, the guy who normally takes photos for Regent's, couldn't make it, and could I take pictures of everything, and Dr. Virachai and Khun Tip? So I was abruptly turned into the official Regent's photographer for the night. That was interesting. The lighting was HORRID in the lobby, and the quartet was playing in front of windows. I had to use the flash, and when it did it would reflect off everything. There were a lot of video cameras, and fancy cameras with gigantic lenses and flashes- and here I am, trying to but in with my little Nikon P2, which is not at all advanced anymore.

After playing an hour's worth of cocktail music (and I have to protest the definetion of cocktail. There were no cocktails at this cocktail hour. Lynn Smith expressed her observation of it being the driest cocktail hour she'd ever seen), it was dinnertime. Everyone went in the ballroom, and started on dinner. Kraig and I had tickets- it was a fundraiser, tickets from 3,000 baht to 20,000 baht. (from $95 to $645), but we didn't pay for them. First, the boarding girls did their Thai dance, and did very well. They were dolled up A LOT. Kaia was not happy with her makeup- rather thick, she looked like blonde Madonna from the 80's. They don't realize that once you get on stage, the lights bleach everything out, and especially from a distance you need a lot of makeup to even look like you have features. I was proud of them!

Martin Kneath, the headmaster here, was somehow appointed to be master of ceremonies for the evening. They handed out awards at the beginning, and the poor man had to pronounce all sorts of bad things. He speaks in very proper gentlemanly British English, and he had African, Thai, Indian names . . . it was horrid. He did a very good job, but it was still rather mangled. Each person had about 5 diffrent titles as well . . . Our students performed about an hour into the dinner, and they did so well. They got a lot of applause, and the board & Dr. Virachai were impressed. A couple students had never performed in front of a large group like that, and I think it will be easier for them from now on. Once you cross that hurdle, go into the fire and come out on the other side, it doesn't seem as bad.

Dinner was utterly divine. I felt decadent sitting there eating this lovely food, when my dinner normally consists of a tv dinner, or fruit and popcorn, or something else simple. The rolls at the beginning were SO GOOD. I will never take good bread for granted again. Then we had a seafood salad- shrimp and scallops in some sort of creamy sauce with lettuce on top, with pesto around the edge. I even ate the dill garnish because it was DILL and FRESH and so good!! And the pesto! Real basil!! Then there was a soup that was fairly mediocre- only thing that night that was. The main course was a salmon fillet and two dory fillets, on top of some ratatouille, with herbed little potatoes that looked like seashells, and a ring of mustard around the edge. The potatoes were meh, but oh the salmon was divine. I really haven't eaten any salmon here yet- which is strange because it's SO cheap. I'll have to get some at the grocery store this weekend.

Dessert was a bit of vanilla ice cream, a shot glass with pureed strawberry stuff, and Tiramisu. TIRAMISU. It was real tiramisu and SO GOOD. Martyn Smith was like, I'll bet this isn't what you were planning on doing your teaching practice. :D Really, it wasn't- but on the other hand, I was prepared. That's one thing in music that you learn, how to present yourself, how to dress up for things and be prepared. I know kids in college who didn't have any dressy clothes with them freshman or sophmore year! I'm generally always prepared to dress up for something, it's a fact of life as a performer. It's no mistake I brought a set of flashy jewelry. And I can get beautified quicky, too!!

At our table, it was myself and Kraig, Martyn & Lynn Smith, Mrs. Kneath (Martin was up at from emceeing the entire time), Miki and Ice, and Dr. Virachai's daughter. I got to speak with her a bit, and she's a nice girl. Either my age or a year older, she went to school in London and is now working for the Regent's campus in Pattaya. She's going to Chicago soon, so I told her all the neat Christmas things in Chicago to go see, like the market in Daly Plaza, and the windows in Field's. She'd never seen twisty jewels for hair like mine, but they do apparently have Claire's shops in London! I think she was glad I talked to her- she's the boss' daughter, people don't talk to the boss' daughter!!

I got home around ten, and just about collapsed.

Now, for some pictures!!


Rehearsing in the afternoon.


Dessert!


Boon & Ruaychai- the boys never stop playing.


The quartet in front of those stupid windows. Ruaychai, Bay, Boon, Kraig, with Carlie, Kiara, Poon, and Boat in the back.


Martin Kneath, Headmaster, refining his remarks backstage before the gala.


PINK!!


Mrs. Kneath & Mrs. Smith, dressed for the occasion.


Khun Miki, Knun Ice, and Martyn Smith, secondary Head.


Here's my efforts as official photographer . . . Dr. Virachai is the man third from the left, looking at the camera. His wife is two over, in the striking blue dress.



This is the ballroom we were in . . . fancy!!


The boarding girls after their performance, with their teachers- members of the Thai staff.


This is Bay, on violin, accompanied by her brother, Boat, on piano. She was playing Meditation from Thais.


This is Kiara on flute; she was playing Handel, I believe. They had TV cameras filming and putting the images on big screens on either side of the stage. There were some really neat pans and zooms . . .


Great minds think alike . . . at least in terms of dress!!


Now, to give an exam to the last class of the week. Sigh. It's just not sinking in. Kraig left it up to me to assess their progress and make up the test. He thought it was too easy. I thought it was easy, but challenging enough to get a good grasp of where they were. I've had two students out of about 100 get As, maybe three Bs, and the rest are in the area around 50%. Nothing on the test was brand new, nothing we didn't go over ad nauseum in class . . . . I've got to come up with new strategies to teach note names & rhythms. And what makes a brass instrument not a woodwind instrument. The one class seemed convinced a tuba is a woodwind instrument. *facepalm*

I've FINALLY got a good resource on the IGCSE curriculum- including a rubric. Thank God for rubrics . . . .