Leeds Music Festival

Good things about Leeds Music Festival

Adam being allowed in free

Helpful staff

The people around the campsite

Sitting round the campfire

The walk to the main arena on the first day

Bands like the Lumineers, Imagine Dragons, Jake Bugg, Green Day, Alt-J, Bastille, Biffy Clyrow
Biffy Clyrow's show

Cleaner toilets

Roast Pork baguettes
People not giving a shit about the rain
The atmosphere

Bad things about Leeds Music Festival

Being greeted by a begging monk as soon as my car stopped
Parking a mile away from our campsite and having to carry everything

The 3 afternoons and nights of rain

Muddy swamp

The walk to and from the arena every other day.......

Listening to the Lumineers playing Stubborn Love

The lead singer of Green Day

Eminem

Thoughtless, drunken arseholes, Bullies, A few racists

Mostly horrible food - and getting the s__ts

Horrible toilets on Sunday - Adam refused to take a picture....

'Helpful' staff who knew f – all about the site or camping
The commercialism

Funniest Moments

Talking to s drunken stallholder trying to get me to buy stuff
Jordan wanting us to come and get him
Jordan trying to teach Adam the paradiddle.....
Adam seeing boobs on the big screen............
Putting on the Smurf onesie
Jordan putting on the chimp onesie
Joe putting on the diamonds
Nick with his beige suit...... after he lost his shoes
Drinking all the bottle of mead which was meant to be shared
Geoff talking to the mad Welsh woman
Everbody being fascinated by the 'dwarf' female with the big........ personality

Holidays with kids......

I just filled in a job application form yesterday for an online tutoring agency, got interviewed nd had the references taken up. Hopefully will get a few hours a week tutoring online. £20 an hour - not brilliant but it's work and money so can't sniff at it. If I can get 15 hours a week that will put me on working tax credits which might help. Nothing from agencies but not really expecting anything as schools are off.

Have the kids full time at the moment for three weeks. Been on a long walk round Hest Bank which we all enjoyed including the three dogs, especially the lunch at the cafe afterwards.

Tara And me in Lancaster

Adam, thinking about eating pigeons?

The dogs at Hest Bank.

Wandered round Lancaster and did some shopping at ASDA / Walmart; such attractive - not! - people there. Mind you they probably think the same of us. I remember the first time we went to ASDA was when we lived in Croydon - late 80s - and my sister came to visit. They used to do a £1 breakfast available all day. We were totally amazed and talking about it in the cafeteria, saying it was a good deal for people when they needed somewhere to go to if they didn't have a job etc....... Think we embarrassed a couple of guys near us; they gave us dirty looks as they left!  Chilled at home a lot - too lazy / too broke to do much. Kids getting up t 1 pm doesn't actually help with going out. Got a lot of gardening done. The weeds have been decimated. We can see the beds..... lol.

Watched Chelsea play Hull at the pub - and tried hard not to fall asleep after 30 minutes. It was sooooo boring. God, I hope Mourinho does not bring his old style back, much as I like having him back. Not sure it's a particularly good idea him coming back a second time. Coming back does not seem to be a positive move for many managers. Keep wondering how long before Uncle Roman gets pissed off and fires him. Sorry, I obviously meant - before they part company through mutual agreement...... Kids had fun at the pub, just messing around with their phones and taking silly pictures. Talking about football to a Liverpool supporter.

Celebrated Hari's birthday at Pizza Hut with Robert. Kids had a mad time Talked a lot. Made rude jokes...... Adam tried to act mature. "Can we please stop telling Uranus jokes..../" Spoiled it  bit a few minutes later by asking Robert when he came back from the toilet> "Did you have fun with Uranus....?!"

Started packing for Leeds. Wish I hadn't left it till the last minute. Think I left half the gear at M's place. Oh well..... Just have to cope. Hope it doesn't rain. We are gonna try to cook one meal and eat out for one meal. Have an alcohol stove. Loads of snacky things and easy cook stuff. Not looking forward to the loos or the showers. Was almost tempted to get a ready set tent with hot showers and security etc but they charge £320..... :(

Would like to go somewhere after we get back... See what I can afford. Camping in Garstang?

Jill's getting old. Seemed very infirm the other day, perked up yesterday and was bouncing around. Still, she is very shaky, almost blind and a deaf. Can't be long..... :( Not looking forward to it. We have had her for 16 years almost. Hari, then 4, named her after his baby sitter and Tara was nearly one when she came. Kids want a replacement but .......

Update on Jobs and Agencies

Haverigg Job

I eventually got some feedback which said I was an excellent teacher but not a course manager. Oh well. Carry on going. I would like to ask them if they were so good at managing, how come the security gate did not have a badge ready for me, why did I get left standing for 20 minutes - the next candidate was waiting in the office, with a coffee - and why did they not know what I was supposed to have prepared.

Agencies

No change in my opinion of Reed, Capita and . Keystage turned out to be useless too. I left them my phone number twice. No ring back.

I have a date set for my Tribunal with Randstad. My opinion has got worse, if anything. I read their submission to the tribunal judge. It's full of inaccuracies and their defence is that it was someone inexperienced who contacted me. How is that  a defence? Apart from the fact that I heard him asking his colleagues what he should do, he passed me on to his manager and the Compliance Officer. They were pretty useless. 

Proofreading

Got one or two bits of proofreading work from a friend. Have contacted some people but no joy. Still it's a start. The A4E people gave me some useful advice. I will try to work on that and see what happens. Basically see if I can go through student services, keep advertising, send leaflets out through a school uniform supplier, have an information stand at open days in schools and unis. Could do with some funding though..... which, surprisingly, hasn't been forthcoming.

Not much to apply for...... Been told to dumb down my CV - again! Lmao.

Stuff stuff

Tara had a good time at the Prom. Lots of happy pix on her FB.

Tara - all dressed to kill!

Life's difficult at the moment. Lots of things need sorting.

I need a new job but there isn't much going now, especially in teaching. I suppose one good thing that happened was that I got an interview at Haverigg even tho I didn't get a job. They were so disorganised. They didn't seem to know what I should have brought with me. Left me at the gate for 20 minutes before fetching me. Not even a drink of water. As for feedback, I am still waiting.

The JobCentre have put me with this company called A4E who are supposed to help me get the skills required to get back to work. The woman looked at my CV and basically said there's not much I can do to help you and I don't know why you haven't got  job yet. Still, she offered to make an appointment for me with the enterprise manager who might get me funding for my proofreading website.

Think I will need to move out soon. Running out of money. Not sure there is anything much cheaper for a 3 bedroom house. Bit depressing.

The BBQ was great. Beautiful day. Everybody who came along had fun and ate lots. So relaxed. R said it was the most relaxed BBQ she had ever been to. C helped get the BBQ going and then Hari took over. Robert arrived an hour or two later and the two of them sat there nattering and cooking with their drinks and lots of food. Most of the food was cooked already and just needed a bit on the BBQ for the charred look - and taste! People brought along salads and I had lots of soft drinks. Two of Tara's friends turned up on bikes and another was brought by her mum. They just chilled on the blankets...... Adam had a couple of friends too. They played football, swingball and boules (!). They did disappear into the house to play computer games for a while (quelle surprise, as they say....) but mostly ran around having fun. Just a very pleasant afternoon.

Me......

Tara and friends......

Boys doing man stuff....

oh well, why not?

Time for a natter......

My neighbour, R and Farmer J

Landlord wrote asking to visit, but I said I was busy and suggested another couple of dates. However he turned up anyway and looked around the outside. Then he wrote a stinking letter through the letting agents, saying I had denied access and there was rubbish everywhere. Not sure how he made out that I denied access and the rubbish was recycling and all bagged up to be taken away so..... I was a little annoyed. Considering that they ignore my comments and suggestions about what needs to be done and the lack of action when things need to be done, I think he has a nerve.

Kids came to see me before setting of for three weeks with their mother. Adam was ill Wednesday night and Thursday - gastroenteritis the doctor said - but feeling happier today. They both looked as miserable as I felt. Hopefully we can keep in touch via phone and maybe they will have some internet access.

Hari and I will be looking after the dogs over the next 3 weeks. Get the garden tidy and maybe get rid of stuff to tip or charity. Make it easier to move. Hmm, August or September?

Looking forward to Leeds Music Festival but the dates clash a bit with Tara's results, though she may come with friends. Should try some sightseeing too. Any ideas?

Friends

I am fortunate that I can make good friends. I needed them over the last three years. Wish some of our so-called friends, who had known what was going on, had said something. The outcome might have been different. Though, once one has taken the first step, getting the trust back is a long, arduous job.

I made friends in school, at University, while teaching. Some of these I have lost contact with but there are two who are still around. One is KFA, who is Ghanaian, and married an Austrian. I have visited him in Vienna and hopefully will do so again with the kids. He did Electrical Engineering - I ended up with loads of friends from the EE Dept because they seemed to run the Overseas Students Societies. We shared a flat for a year which was entertaining. It was always fun to observe K as he got into debates with people and ran rings round them.

The other one is PB, who was Head of Chemistry at my first teaching job. He was very supportive of me - wanted the school to use me properly. I was the highest qualified Chemist but the school used me to teach Physics. Anyway, I later got into aggravation with the school on grounds of Racism and P was always there to talk to, even if he did not understand the issues. He got very concerned at the effect of other  teachers' actions on me - I burst into tears in his room during a free period in school. The HoD and the deputy head (whose initials were HH - 88!) had been having fun at my expense in the staff room, doing an Asian accent, supposed to be mine. Had they ever actually heard me speak or was the turban too big a barrier? They then proceeded to make decisions which were discriminatory against me. My union here was a big help. They supported me without hesitation. Just in case you think I am paranoid, there two other Asian teachers in the school, who felt the same way about how how they were being treated. The Head's idea of doing research on Racism was going into the playground and asking two 13 year old Asian girls whether they thought there was any discrimination in the school.

Anyway, I digress. Since the split, it has become very apparent who my friends are. Some people whom I supported and thought were my friends turned their backs on me, which was disappointing. A couple of people in whom I confided passed the information straight along which was helpful. I kept half a dozen very good friends who have been brilliant. Kept me sane by talking and listening to me while I vented my anger and frustration.and misery, giving me a sanctuary to escape to, even though a couple of them had their own challenges. I have made really good friends with my neighbour. We have got on really well since they moved in last September.  We get on like a house on fire and her family are great. They held a huge bonfire party last year, the week before my one. We all had a whale of a time. R has never managed to live down the fact that a can of beans was in the bonfire by mistake, exploded and shot out and hit me on the arm, leaving a big mark on my sweatshirt and  huge bruise on my arm. Her family have been teasing her mercilessly about trying to kill her new neighbour......

Like I said, in other blogs, I made some good friends online and they have moved into my rl to an extent. We IM, FB and skype, so we pretty much know each other  - three pretty decent women who talk sense to me. Shame they live so far away. Things with AM are progressing slowly. Gives me a hard time but there's lots of fun and mischief too.:)

Last ten days

Life seems to be all about forms at the moment. Forms for the DWP, tax credits, School forms, job application forms etc. Then waiting for people to get back to me. Most people do, just the employers don't - the ones I could do with replying. Need a job before I finally run out of money - or a tenant. Don't think the letting agents want to reduce the rent so I am going to have to move in the next month or two. Bit of good news - got some money from the JSA, having accepted that I did not have any savings hidden away. I could have used that for...... lots of different things. Will just spend it on kids, now.

Feeling fitter, soccer twice a week is good. Long walks with the dog help. House is reasonably tidy. Garden needs work. Tomorrow, maybe - lol.

Tara has finished her exams. Seems happier. Got her prom coming up - 20 June. Her first full day at home as a lady of leisure. Got up late, long, leisurely shower and a hard afternoon of social activity on the PC. Came into the sitting room with a huge grin on her face, saying she was learning Chinese...... I suppose I should start saving money for a trip to China.

Hari has a job at the Library. Well, it's work experience for his University Course. He doesn't get paid for it and has to spend 20 a week on transport. So every morning, we iron his shirt, trousers at the start of the week, Has to do shelving, reservations, packing / unpacking the books...... Sounds boring. Sets off at 7.15, having made his sandwiches and gets back at 6.15. Long day, I suppose. Good experience for the future?

Went through the laundry basket. Pile of sheets at the bottom. :( Made me miserable just remembering who used them last. Seemed like the start of something good but....... Had to make that decision. It's done.

Went shopping and got a brush and scissors for grooming Jill. Poor old lady. She is getting old. Had an accident a couple of days ago. Hope it was because we forgot to let her out when we got up, rather than the pills and drops stopping working. Don't really want to think of having to put her down, though it seems likely to happen in the near future.

Jill on a walk

Life's full of good - and sad.

Stuff Update

The Legal Aid Agency wrote to ask me to confirm through my solicitor that the transfer of our previous home had taken place. They also wanted to know how much Hari contributed to the household from his student debt; I mean, loan!

The JobCentre people wrote to say that they wanted to talk to me about my complaint. Yay, I might get somewhere.

I also had a note from my Letting Agency getting their knickers in a twist. Did I realise the new tenant, if I got one would have to go on the Tenancy Agreement? FFS! I rang and spoke to them. Did they think I had forgotten?

Have to write to various people to let them know that Tara is staying on in school - so she can get a bus pass, I can get child benefit etc. Fair enough. She could have been getting a job after her GCSEs. I don't mind when things are done for a reason but when you get asked for stuff over and over again and they start accusing you of lying or hiding things  if you question what they say, that sucks.

Stuff

Feeling tired and wan...... or is it worn? Been trying to do too many things and have too much to worry about at the moment. Spent quite a bit of time this week reading stuff about the new Inspection Frameowrk and Teaching and Learning, preparing for the Conference. Also had shit to deal with from Legal Aid people, JobCentre, solicitors, bills plus family and personal stuff. Need a holiday but it's not happening any time soon. I think I should turn into a **** and that would make life easier.

The Legal Aid Agency are deliberately slowing things down. I need it to sort out the passports but I may have to go it alone and build up more effing debt. The JobCentre people still haven't sorted out my money, though they have had the statements for weeks. Wrote to the Housing people for a discretionary grant but still haven't heard. Asked them whether it is really helping families stay together / survive, sticking strictly to the letter of the law.

Still no interviews, no jobs to apply for either now. Maybe I should try some more assertive / aggressive marketing? Could work away for 2/3 days somewhere.

Couple of positive bits though. The Conference went well and I made a couple of good contacts. (I will see if I can put some pix up). The delegates were very positive about it. Also I should get some marking to do which may bring in a few quid.

Enjoyed football but I feel fat and unfit. The last 3 weeks have not been good at football. I feel more out of breath and stuff. Maybe I need to eat less / better and go for longer walks (runs?) during the week, just to build myself up. Or maybe age is catching up...... How depressing!

Oh well! Onwards and upwards, as they say.

Last Fortnight

It has been stunning weather here. The days have been warm and sunny, the nights cool with clear skies. I managed to clean the house with a little help from my little friends.... Garden is looking tidy. Killed loads of dandelions near the path.  Need to do more weeding and thinning out. The beds are green and full of flowers. Had a ton of rhubarb which I took over to Anna, who is going to make crumble and chutneys from which I might benefit. Yay! I think I should do crumbles myself - or get Tara to do them. She does them well. Hari makes a mean cheesecake - and very spicy chili! At least, he will never starve...... The house inspection went okay, except there's a big messy nest in the guttering.

Hari got back on the 30th. The kids have been on half term but we didn't do much. Lazed around. Tara was revising - or so she claimed! We had supper at Sanah's on 31st which was excellent. We were the last ones so she was fussing over us. She was going gooey over Tara, whom she doesn't remember visiting her stall in Market Square. It's worth going to but she is only open on Fridays. She has a great chef! The kids watched him cook as we were the last ones - well the kitchen is in the room anyway. Had a big tandoor - clay oven - out of which he was taking big naans. The kids were on good form, especially Tara. Hari went back to M's to look after the dogs. M was in France for the weekend.

Saturday was the Bentham CARnival but the kids were not interested. There were rides and dances etc but...... Wray Sports was also on Saturday. Adam decided he wanted to go, so I took him there. He won the U12s 100m race. The other races were in the 11 - 14 category so the older boys won those. He decided to go and play with Nick Wacquers while I sat and worked, and chatted with Jenny, in the Institute. Tara and I got a few bits from the coop, the Tara spent some time with Rachel, while she did the garden! Tara was in a good mood and got on well with Rachel.

Hari spent Saturday and most of Sunday on the Xbox with Rob.

Sunday was quiet apart from having the dogs. Ole is a pain in the butt. Such a spoilt, whiny dog. Late supper of noodles and chick peas - how do you eat noodles with chop stick? Carefully!

Miserable Monday..... but we had pizza!

Tuesday was a busy day. Had to go sign in but they were on strike so I was turned away at the door! Do I get my expenses back? Went and swore at, I mean with, a solicitor. 25 words, one signature, 2 minutes, £5! Woohoo, I wish I was a solicitor. Collected my glasses. Tried to see Hari at his work experience but he was busy. He was supposed to start on Monday but things got muddled between the Library and his Uni. Got tank filled at ASDA when I went in. Bought some books at the Samaritans. Lovely stew for supper! Took Jill out for a late night walk. Beautiful night. Didn't fall asleep till 2.45ish. :(

No jobs to apply for this fortnight. No interviews offered. Surprising. Not! My ads have been published in the Bentham News. Hope something comes from them. Been working on Conference with my sister. Going there today (5 June). I feel fat. Hope I can fit in my clothes. Need to be smart. "Tip top" as Gulshan said. May get some marking. So I will get a few bob...... Need more regular work really.

Big decisions to make regarding jobs and house. Also, relationships.

Not finished with this yet. Will upload some pix later.

Jobs - Part 2

I started at St Martin's / UoC in September 1995 and for the first few years, it was ok. I had my own course and my own students, so I could ignore the other science lecturers except Anne, who was always on my side anyway. There was one person in particular who made trouble - a lot. Like I would do everything by the book - book rooms, organise my timetable as well as I could etc. I would turn up at the room I was teaching in and he would have taken it over with his students. He could not be bothered to book rooms or check whether the room had been allocated = or so he said. I am not allowed to discuss what went on at UoC for 5 years. Anyway, just a couple of incidents which might give you an insight.

Some of you may remember there was a high profile case of football players attacking Asian students and causing serious injury to one of them. The cowards hit him after tripping him from behind and knocking him unconscious. This was a racist attack, not just a fight. Both footballers lied to the extent of their involvement and were basically cleared. This was a really disgusting miscarriage of justice. The student who was attacked basically became a recluse. Anyway, these two footballers were up and coming international players. Most people I spoke to were actually shocked by the attack and that the footballers had faced so little punishment.  I was sitting in our common room eating lunch and my "friend" was pontificating on how unfair it was that these footballers were not being allowed to play for England, they had been cleared, etc....... I couldn't believe this crap. I wonder if he even remembered the name of the Asian student who was attacked or what happened to him.

Those of you who believe Lee Bowyer is an innocent victim, read this conversation. There is a video (I assume it was from a security camera) showing him destroying a McDonald's Restaurant after he was served by a Bengali.  There is a comment that racists don't just attack people. I beg to differ. I wasn't even aware I was being attacked till I was knocked down by skinhead thugs. I was also attacked with a knife while I was walking down the street. Maybe I just provoked those attacks........

The second incident really is more of a series of incidents involving my room. It had a leak. Everytime it rained hard it leaked. I had 5 (?) major floods. the first one caused serious damage to my books. The second and third, I had all my books awauy from the area. The fourth one caused extensive damage as I had been assured after the third that there would be no more leaks. The Dean came into my room and said he would give me a £100 towards the books. What a laugh! The books cost hundreds  and the papers that were there - that was a lot of work, done over months. How about all that work? Anyway, they tried repaing it a fourth time. By that point, I was severely stressed. Work, my "friend", whiny students and the flooding...... So I complained - and was promptly put under disciplinary measures for not being able to cope! Anne had left by this point and the person who replaced her had her own difficulties. Anyway, I got through that, no thanks to my effing Union. I was trying to get the manager to give me another room because I knew they wouldn't sort it. I said to him "Please move me to another room. You can sort this one out when I have moved. You have spare rooms." his response was, "We are allocating those rooms. We cannot put anyone in your room till it's sorted."!!!!! I wrote back "So it's ok for me but nobody else?" I wanted to write "Everybody else is too white, are they?" Anyway, within a few weeks, there was a major storm and I ended up with an inch of water in my room. So I dragged the Dean in, in front of witnesses, and said "Do something now!" I got moved that week. They did work on my old room after I moved. It hadn't leaked 3 years later. I don't believe this was an organisation just being inefficient. Once or twice is ok but FIVE times? And that comment by the manager just says it all.

Jobs - Part One

I am finding it difficult to get a job. I don't know what's going on. I can make a good guess though>

I always seem to have had problems getting a job.No problems with studying really, all seemed to go smoothly. There were one or two things I wasn't sure about. Like one of the teachers at my first secondary school did not want me to do German because he thought I would have difficulty pronouncing German. Not quite sure what he based that on. There was another couple of minor incidents. I was at the top of my form in the school in London and transferred to Hastings and was put in the second set. Within a few weeks it was fairly obvious that I was in the wrong set; even the other kids knew it. Another boy who arrived after me, with a similar background, went straight into the top set. I am not sure why the difference. (He did worse than me at O Levels, in case you are wondering). Also, the high achieving pupils were always pushed to do Oxbridge. Again, I wasn't. Not that I necessarily wanted it, but......... Imperial was the best at Chemistry at the time, pretty close run thing with Cambridge then.

I applied probably for 12 - 15 jobs after my Ph D. No interviews except one. The only ones who did an aptitude test after the application - BT. They even offered me a job - as a stock controller! Lol. I wasn't interested. Might be a millionaire by now, if I had taken it.

When I was applying for jobs as a teacher, most of my friends got jobs after the 3 or 4 applications. Even a friend with a Ph. D got one after 6. I applied for 20+ jobs. I am not that bad at interviews or writing application forms. When I wanted to move on, I applied to 60+ jobs. I had 15 - 20 interviews. No job offers in school. A few were ok, because there was a better candidate. Some of the excuses were ridiculous. what do you say when someone says "You are too quiet" when you have been as chatty and extrovert as the other candidates. "Do you mean I am too Asian? Why the fuck did you invite me for an interview?" I did take one school to tribunal. They were forced to apologise and had to give an undertaking to change their system. One of the pupils in the school wrote something racist and had to apologise. At the end of the day, the school said I was the best candidate but they wanted to talk to my Head, who then said something non-committal. They didn't give me the job but said they were going to re-organise an interview and ask me to attend again. They didn't and said they had not given any such undertaking. I went to the Head's house and meet her with the Head of Science for feedback, a fortnight after the initial interview, when they said they would call me back so..........

I got the job at St Martin's  but Anne Riggs was the HoD. The other candidates were not good, a couple had a blow out. One of them was wanted by the PGCE Course Leader but didn't perform on the day and Anne was in my corner. :) I think I should smile, even after all that happened. I loved working with the students and the schools. Most of the staff were ok - I think! Especially the support staff.

Update on my life......

I thought I would do an update about life so far since my last bog about family related stuff.

Melissa and I are officially divorced. She married Charles, who was a family friend. He had had a stroke a few months earlier. He died a few weeks later, leaving her a house and money. His daughter Lauren set up a memorial thing for him. http://www.justgiving.com/remember/28179/Charles-Brocki ... if you feel like giving.

Hari is in his second year at Aberystwyth University, enjoying life - a bit too much, if his results are anything to go by... Seems to be heading for a lower second at best.

Tara has had a tough time but she is improving and coping better now. She is just about to finish her GCSEs, which should be a mixture from A* - C, nothing spectacular. That's fine. A levels next. She's off to Germany for a week or ten days, staying with friends. She seems to have a facility with languages. Wonder who she gets that from then?

Adam has had a good first year at QES. Got into a few scrapes but basically seems to have settled in well and is enjoying it. He played for Craven Wanderers' U-12 football team.

I haven't got a job yet. I have applied for 12 or 15 teaching jobs, 5 or 6 teaching agencies ( see post about them) but no luck. Nothing for proofreading or tutoring either. No response even for minor things. I am too old and well qualified.

I am doing voluntary work at the Looking Well. Thinking about doing stuff at the Library.

Might have some marking to do - MA assignments. Also, doing some work with my sister.

The JobCentre / Benefits people are giving me a hard time, claiming I have savings. Lol. Then in the next breath, they say I may have used them up for expenses. When I tried to reason, they told me, in varying tones and volumes (like that would make a difference) "We must be vigilant". I was accused of delaying sending in financial stuff, which I had already sent in twice and been visited by a Compliance Officer to check it out, cos I was hiding something... The Housing Benefit people don't want to hear I have more than one child I need to house. "You only get child benefit for one..."

Anyway, I need a job soon.

Met a really nice woman but she lives in the US... I like doing things the easy way obviously.

Sometimes I feel really angry about everything. Then I kind of think I love my kids and I should be grateful for that. I am still in a better place than a lot of other people.  It will get better. I will get a job soon. :)

Rambling about money and art

I was listening to a radio programme - Any Questions on Radio 4 - when a question was asked about whether art should be justified in terms of its economic impact.

One of the panellists said that it should not, quoting Oscar Wilde "All art is quite useless."

I am not sure about art's economic impact, but doesn't art have some intrinsic value? Like a good work of Art moving people to tears, changing their views on something, how they perceive the world? Obviously, the impact is going to be different on each person but surely it has some effect.

This then got me thinking about research. Nowadays, there's a big emphasis on research being only funded if it can be shown to have an impact. So if somebody wants to research an aspect just because they find it interesting, they are unlikely to get funded. I personally think that's very short sighted. I can see how it makes sense for companies whose bottom line is how much profit they make for their shareholders. But why should academics be held to the same constraints? Surely there should be some funding for research just because it is interesting. There is always the possibility that at some point down the road, it may turn out to be of economic value. It all adds to the sum of human knowledge which should not be sneered at. If a scientist does research that leads to a dead end, even that is beneficial because it means someone else does not have to explore that at a different point.

Teaching Agencies are the Pits

I put up my CV on various job websites last year. I took some time out to rest. Since then I have had job offers from the Middle East - lucrative packages to go and teach there. Unfortunately, I don't feel I can at the moment.

I also joined various agencies and keep applying for jobs through them but have not had any luck so far. The one time I asked for feedback, they told me to ask whoever had put the post up. As there were no contact details, that was not really a helpful bit of advice.

First Agency -

I contacted them to apply for a job in the Bentham area. They asked for my CV, so I sent them it. I asked the guy to arrange for me to visit the school which he promised to do as he was visiting the school and seeing the headteacher. However, when he had not contacted me a couple of days later, I asked him to let me know what was going on. I received no answer, in spite of trying to contact him several times.

Second Agency - Reed Global

I uploaded my CV on to their site in July 2012. Several posts came up and I applied for them with no luck. It was them I asked for feedback as stated above....

In November, one of their people contacted me to ask me to send me my CV as there was a job for which he would like to put me forward. I replied that it was already on their site. I also said that several posts had been advertised by them which I had applied for. Could he explain why I had not been considered for these posts? He said I need a standard CV to apply. I said that's fine but please could he give me an answer to my question. That was the last I heard from him.

Following my experiences with Randstad (see below) I complained to the Reed Management. After they put someone on the case, their excuse was it was an error. Their Global website had not passed on my CV to the local office / Education website. Really?

Just for information, Reed are in partnership with Lancashire LEA to recruit teachers for them.

Third Agency - Randstad

I received an email from these people in January, asking for references and an updated CV. I provided all these and we set up a meeting for an interview - for cover work. We had to cancel due to personal circumstances. The appointment was rearranged for January 2013.

On the Friday, at 5pm, I received an email saying the meeting had been cancelled. I rang up on Monday to find out what was going on, as requested. When I eventually got through, the guy (Frazer) told me that as I had not taught since September 2011, I needed to go back into school on a voluntary basis to get reacquainted with things. He said it was a Department of Education regulation and being a recruitment agency, they had to stick to very rigid rules. This was a blow, but I said I would do that.

However, I spent the evening looking for this regulation but I couldn't find anything. The next morning I rang up and asked whether he could send me a link or a document with the regulation in it. He promised to do that. I asked him how long I should do voluntary work for and he replied, "Uhhhhh, two months".

After I got off the phone, I rang up the NASUWT who refused to help but offered me the number of a teachers' helpline. They gave me the number of the Department for Education, who passed me on to the Teaching Agency's Return to Teaching helpline. After a bit of research, they informed me that there was NO such regulation OR guideline. I contacted Randstad again at which point their guy said, there was no Regulation, it was just a guideline. So I asked him again for a link or a document. He said he would let me have one. He also apologised for not noticing, for 3 weeks, that I had had no teaching since September 2011.

Since then, there has been no document or link forthcoming. I have had an email saying one of his managers will contact me on Monday to sort everything out. I emailed back to say if he could send me proof, that would resolve the issue in 2 minutes. There was no call from his manager. When I rang back, he said the compliance officer would ring. She didn't either. I had emails saying they had the wrong number on my CV. There was no reply when I called and emailed back to tell them I had left my number with their receptionist.

Eventually the CO asked me for my complaints. I wrote them down for her and she promised to get back to me within a fortnight. So, 5 weeks later, I received a letter by snail mail telling me that they wouldn't be send me their documentation because they don't want rivals to see it. She accused me of being rude to Frazer. She also said it was just because he was inexperienced, he had made a mistake. Firstly, if he is inexperienced and not had enough training, he should not be taking calls. Secondly, I heard him asking people in the office about what he should say. Every time I rang he said he would check. That excuse simply does not wash. I do believe ignorance is not an excuse you can use in Court. I emailed this back to her and also asked her why she had taken so long? Why use snail mail when she knew I preferred email or phone? Was she trying to delay me taking the case to tribunal? At this point, she asked me whether I was taking the case to tribunal and on what grounds. I replied I had told Frazer that and put it in my emails to them before, so why was she surprised?

I reported the matter to the agency which regulates the Teaching Agencies. I told them as well that I was taking it to Tribunal. I put a complaint into the Employment Tribunal and they are taking it seriously. I also complained about the agencies in general but they want a separate complaint about each.

Fourth Agency - Key Stage Agency

They contacted me immediately I sent in a CV but when I rang back and left my phone number with the receptionist, they did not get in touch. Shocking!

Fifth Agency - Capita

I applied for a job through Capita. They said I had been shortlisted. I have contacted them 3 times but they haven't been in touch about what this was about.

My Opinion

What I think, backed by other people, is that the agencies have a profile of the type of person they want - and I am too old to be considered. This profile is drawn up in reaction to how schools act. I don't believe the agencies act in isolation. This is age discrimination in all but name but also, I believe, sex discrimination as it will affect women who have been out of school due to maternity care or taking time off while they were raising a family.

Looking back

Spent a lot of yesterday and today trying to find pictures of where I used to live in India. The two places I remember a lot about are:

Shimla - we lived in Summerhill, in Sanjauli and the Oberoi hotel on the other side. I used to go to school near The Mall. I remember spending Sundays on the Mall, running around, falling and grazing myself countless times. My grandfather worked for the LIC of India and we used to walk together in the morning, him to his office and me to my school. In the afternoon, when I finished, I would walk to his office and play there or work (doing maths!), sipping sweet tea or coke brought by the chaprassi. Some amazing pictures of Shimla. They look so familiar.

I saw the BBC film about the Kalka - Shimla rail journey on youtube. I remember doing that as a child. Even more frightening was doing it on a bus driving far too fast along a poor road with a drop of several hundred (or thousand!) feet on one side.

Ambala - we lived here from 1963 on. I went to the Convent of Jesus and Mary School till 1968. I had to leave then. I don't think the nuns could cope with boys once we reached puberty..... Nowadays it's a girls only school. I showed pictures of the school from google images to Adam, explaining how the kites used to dive bomb us, snatching food from the hands of unwary children. After CJM I went to the Air Force School but that seems to have changed. A very nice young man has set up a facebook about the city and he may upload some pictures for me!

I also found some pictures uploaded by a man called R. Bhatnagar who, as I had hoped, turned out to be Atul's (one of my childhood friends) eldest brother. What a small world........ I am waiting to hear from Atul.


Update: Just reading the history of Ambala. I didn't realise how important it was militarily. I do remember reading a bit about Ambala in Rudyard Kipling's "Kim"

(i) Official Ambala website
(ii) Air Force
(iii) St. Paul's Church

Football and money

I was reading comments from football fans on Bleacher Report about different players. Quite a few of them were being rude about Christiano Ronaldo (CR7) with lots of RM and Man Utd fans defending him. I dislike him intensely, btw.... in case you are interested. Anyway, one of his fans made this comment:"He doesn't care about your opinion. He earns more in one year than you will in 20"

This started me thinking about what a crazy fucked up world we live in - where a guy can get paid such a huge amount for kicking a ball around a ground. You have teachers and nurses who are paid so little and who contribute so much to society and get paid so little. Something is wrong with our priorities. You can't tell me people like CR7 contribute that much. Some of the players who get rewarded so highly do not have anywhere near CR7's talent. You could argue that football players in lower divisions are rewarded less highly. True. But how low do you wanna go before you get to a football player who is rewarded the same as an "ordinary" person? Actually, thinking about it, the Cup games are a revelation, where you see how small the gap is between the different divisions. Is it really fair that players in those divisions get paid so much less? I believe that talent should be rewarded but the differences are extreme.

It's not just footballers. Top athletes earn so much, it's obscene. So do people in the entertainment business. But again, it's the people at the top who walk away with the biggest slice of the cake. Should the split not be fairer? I have a friend who thinks everybody should be paid the same for doing a day's work. He thinks that just a few people, who are at the very top or industrialists should be paid more. That would be a fairer deal for people.

What do you think?

A Hero

I saw this on Facebook and was amazed at this man's bravery. He ran towards the site of the bomb explosion to help people. There's a picture of him pinching someone's femoral artery - a guy who had his legs blown off.

Carlos - post on Facebook

Cowboy hat wearing hero

Unfortunately, some of the people commenting used the opportunity to turn it into a discussion about illegal immigration, instead of celebrating his heroism. By the way, Carlos is a citizen, who migrated legally from Costa Rica. How stupid can you get? When Carlos acted he did not ask whether the person was an American or not. The people, who received his help - do you think they should have refused in case he was an illegal immigrant? All that matters is his selflessness and humanity.Unfortunately, it not just some white Americans who are like this. There are plenty of other assholes in other countries and of different complexions who are that stupid.

An example of selflessness from the past towards one's "enemies"

*****.......Bhai Kanhaiya was often seen carrying a mashak (a sort of pouch made of goat's skin that was used to carry water from one place to another), to serve water to anyone who was thirsty. He took upon the task of quenching the thirst of the wounded soldiers in the battle of Anandpur Sahib in 1704. He did this sewa with love and affection without any discrimination between the Guru's Sikh soldiers and the Mughal armies' soldiers. His act of compassion stirred up stern criticism amongst his fellow Sikhs, who complained to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, pointing out that Bhai Kanhaiya Ji was serving water to the wounded soldiers from the enemy camp. They were especially annoyed because the Mughals had surrounded the city and stopped all their food supplies, and here was Bhai Kanhaiya sharing with them what little water they had. They had tried to stop him many a time, but he would not pay any heed. Guru Gobind Singh summoned Bhai Kanhaiya and explained that he had received a complaint about his actions on the battlefield.

Guruji said, “These brave Sikhs are saying that you go and feed water to the enemy and they recover to fight them again – Is this true?”

Bhai Kanhaiya Ji replied "Yes, my Guru, what they say is true. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh on the battlefield. I only saw human beings. And, ... Guru Ji, .. they all have the same God’s Spirit? – Guru Ji, have you not taught us to treat all God's people as the same?"

The Guru was very pleased with the reply. Bhai Kanhaiya Ji had understood the deep message of Gurbani correctly. Guru ji smiled and blessed Bhai Kanhaiya. Guru Ji said, "Bhai Kanhaiya Ji, You are right. You have understood the true message of Gurbani". He then continued and told the Sikhs that Bhai Kanhaiya had understood the deeper message of the Gurus' teachings correctly and that they all have to strive to learn lessons from the priceless words of Gurbani.

Guru also gave Bhai Kanhaiya Ji medical Balm and said “From now on, You should also put this balm on the wounds of all who need it” *****