2008 – another year has begun…….. and I still have no idea where I will be this time next year!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year and that you haven’t broken your NY resolutions yet!Plenty to update you on since my last update so I’ll get cracking! Before Xmas I was busy studying for my Project Management exams. I had been attending classes for a few weeks in the evenings and sacrificed all the Xmas parties and a few weekends to study for the exams. In the end, it all proved worthwhile cause I passed with flying colours. It wasn’t an easy exam at all and it required a lot of effort and studytime. 4 Hours of multiple choice questions and once you are finished you press the button and get the results immediately! A few nerve-wracking seconds! So I have another qualification to my name and I really have to start making inroads again. With this qualification and my vast experience (at home and internationally) I think I should be well capable of taking on a serious role for serious bucks. So let’s see how my career builds in the New Year.After I got my exams I had a few nights out with the lads and work but nothing too hectic – can’t manage to get my head around all the drinking sessions in Ireland. For some reason, I don’t have the urge to go drinking in Ireland as much as I would in Thailand! Difficult to explain why but I am definitely more reserved here. Xmas was spent in Kerry with family. 5 hour drive to Killorglin wasn’t too bad at all in the Fortuner – except that it got cold!! I still haven’t managed to find a place that will install a heater in it for me……. Weather was terrible for the entire Xmas. Tried to walk Rossbeigh beach a couple of times but it was a complete washout! Loads of food and drink was consumed and I could have done with the exercise!! However, I got a nice Exercise Bike from Amela for Xmas which should help me work off a few extra kilos!!! God knows I need to! Have also been having bad stomach pains recently and even the Doctor doesn’t know what it is – could be just old age and that my body is telling me that it cant take all this extra weight!!!?!?!? Killorglin has a great new Tapas Bar that is well worth a visit. The décor is amazing and the atmosphere is great. Food is really tasty but it is just Tapas so don’t expect to be stuffing yourself – unless you are willing to spend loads of money. Its called Sol y Sombre and is right beside Nicks Restaurant. I also visited my cousins restaurant in Cromane – called Jacks – and it was excellent! It aint cheap but the food is awesome and he runs a really good place! Over the Xmas we played Buzz & Singstar on PS2 and some other silly games on Wii. Really haven’t got into the Wii yet but I think I need to buy some decent games for it first! Still like living in Dalkey – we are there about 2 months now and all is well. The apartment itself is very cold but the location is perfect. Nang has settled very well into life in Ireland and had a great Xmas.Unfortunately, her visa expires on February 3rd and it doesn’t look like we can extend it at all. It means that she will have to go back to Thailand to apply for another visa. Working on those details now so fingers crossed it will all work out well.

Bertie is still under pressure after further revelations at the tribunals. I really don’t think that he will still be leader of Fianna Fail by the end of this year. I think he has been a terrible Taoiseach and that he has pulled the wool over so many peoples eyes for too long. Leader in waiting is Brian Cowen and I couldn’t think of a more unpleasant person to be running this country. I just hope Fine Gael can get their act together and get these chancers OUT!!

The economy is certainly on a downward turn and its just a matter of figuring how long this will last for OR will there be a short, sharp shot? Its too difficult to say now but I think after Q1 08 we will have a much better idea.

In Thailand it is all happening! They had elections where there was no clear winner and they are trying to put together a coalition. The PPP won the majority of seats but they didn’t have an overall majority. It looks like they will eventually gain power and if they do it is possible that Thaksin will return home to Thailand. He still says that he is not going to get back into Politics but I am not so sure. I think he will have a strong role to play in Thailands future.

Unfortunately, the Kings sister died on Wednesday and this has meant that all coalition discussions will be put on hold for the time being.

United are second in the League behind Arsenal but they didn’t play well at all over the Xmas break. I hope that they get freshened up pretty fast and that their performances improve.

We have booked flights to the Bolton game in March and Denis has arranged for the Corporate Box in Old Trafford. Really looking forward to this trip – it’s been a while since I was there!

There wasn’t much else going on sporting wise over the Xmas except for the Darts! Now that looks like a good night out!

Kenny Dalglish is the new favourite to get the Irish Soccer Managers job!

Its all about the Wii and the iphone nowadays!

I think I really need to buy myself a new Smartphone. I loved my Dopod but the phone sound quality was just not good enough! Now that we are in the January sales I may start looking for a decent new phone.

Still working on some of my other websites and hope that they take off in the New Year.

I finally got fully registered on Google Adsense so the crappy Community Service ads should now be replaced with more relevant ads. Let me know what you think!

I am also a qualified PMP professional now!

Prison Break, 24, Heroes, Sopranos, Scrubs and some other DVD’s are keeping me entertained.

I also enjoy playing some Wii and cycling on my new exercise bike!

2008 looks like it is going to be a bleak year in Ireland – and even worldwide. The credit crunch, sub-prime mortgage losses and the property slump have all added to the gloomy forecasts. The Stock markets have taken a battering recently too and it would be a brave man that invested serious money now.

I predict that things will get worse before they get better. I think we will have a fair idea of how bad things will be by June of this year. If results turn out to be OK in the first half of this year then I think we are in the clear. But if results are bad then things will go downhill even further.

I still have my 3 properties in Thailand and 2 in Ireland. I am not as confident about their future income as I have been previously but I still think they are safe enough.