What a suberb name - Abraham Shakespeare. If I have a son thats what he's getting called. Was going to be Troy Davenport, but not now.
Doesn't always buy happiness but I'm much happier now building up a few quid than i was about 5 months ago when I lost my job or how I was about 5 years ago when half my wage was going towards my mortgage. But I think the more money you earn the more you get used to it, the less you enjoy it and the more unhappy you get when you don't ****in have it.
I agree with that Mick. When I was skint I was miserable but it was the same when I was getting ****-loads of cash from Africa trips and had nothing to spend it on so was blowing it on drink & drugs. Now that I knows pretty much exactly how much I'm going to get each month I can plan around that. Everyone says a lottery win would be brilliant but it could change your life for the worse if you don't have the right people around to support and help you. **** having every **** you ever met crawling out the woodwork because you "used to be pals" Bad enough when ****s think because I work offshore that money I loaned them doesn't need paying back. ****s me off, I've always paid my debts to friends/family as soon as I had the cash.
Funny thing about money is it's all relative to what you can buy and the people with money around you. When I was living in Malta I felt loaded because the average wage there was like 11k euro while I was on a very good UK wage - all the Maltese staff in our office were obviously being paid local wages so every time I came into work after a night out at a swanky restaraunt I had to lie to everyone and tell them I'd be somewhere cheap so as to not to spread jealousy. Now I am in Guernsey I am earning around the same amount as I was in Malta (probably a bit more due to the tax being better) and yet I feel poor as **** because every **** on this island is a tax exile driving around in Sports cars and the cheapest property that I am eligible to buy is about 750k which I cant even realistically aspire to afford any time in the future. I prefered it when I was surrounded by poor ****s
I've been thinking about moving to a tax haven at some point myself. I'm getting nailed for tax as it is but I'm planning on starting up on my own next year and hopefully will be earning a bit more again. I never fancied Guernsey because my mate got taken on a holiday there years back and said 99% of the people he met were utter twats.
I would much prefer to be living in Malta again than Guernsey. I'm not one to look back in life but my standard of living was simply much higher there. I've to try stick this place out for at least a few years for the CV and also to be eligble to cash in shares. I'm keeping my flat in Malta to give me an easy route back there at some point. As you say Guernsey itself is full of ****in weirdos and I don't think I've had one single night out here that I've really enjoyed myself - it's basically been getting pissed to numb the boredom. I never thought I would say this about anywhere but I think I prefer Belfast - and thats probably the most postive thing I've had to say about Belfast since I left.
Malta sounds alright. I've always fancied getting out the UK. Was looking into working abroad for a year or two as I don't want to get stuck offshore for years. You see all the moping-faced ****s who've been working on this platform since before either of us were born. One guy was telling me about a snowstorm on here from 1982 the other day and I was thinking; "I hope to **** I'm not some auld **** telling stories of working on the same ****-tip nearly 30 years later" Most guys on here treat this place as a second home and get their missus to do everything for them at home then come out here and get their washing done and meals cooked. They go on about how they've grafted in a hard environment for years. Aye, but you can't work a washing machine or an oven you prick! My best mate's mum and dad are from Ballymena originally and he spent every summer there. He isn't a big fan of Belfast himself, although I've always fancied heading over for a holiday sometime and driving from there down to Cork to see where my family is from.
Should get yourself down to the Falklands, give the fingers to the Argies every time they float past and try to start a war Got a mate called Pat the Hat from Glasgow, got 7 kids to 6 different women ffs. I met him in Malta aiport on my way to Valencia to watch the Villareal game. He's about 57 now and worked in 'under water construction' his whole life - he's been ****ing everywhere from Pakistan to Malasia and Ghana, got paid millions and blown it all. He's in Algeria now doing a contract with a Maltese company. Has some strories to tell about all the different nationalities he's shagged during his travels. That sounds like the way you should go
I wouldn't mind doing something like that. So far I've only been to Holland, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Gabon for work. West Africa is a ****ing ****hole. Ghana isn't too bad but Ivory Coast is a scary as **** place. Abidjan is a total dump and full of guys with rifles and scary big Muslim black guys who don't like Honkeys. Ghana was cool because they speak English and are mostly Catholics, got chatting to a boy there about Larry Kingston and Michael Essien for ages. I've always fancied Canada as I'm a patsy Scottish boy who suffers in the sun. Luckily the game I'm in doesn't restrict me to Oil & Gas. Any industry that has machinery is applicable to my job. I was offered a full-time job on here with Wood Group but it was as a mechanical engineer and those boys get treated like lumps of dog ****. I'm happy with what I do because it's really easy and folk think you are doing them a good service just by testing equipment.
My job allows me to travel quite freely too. I had the pick of Malta, Australia, Brighton, Dublin and London before accepting this job in Guernsey (most boring but best career move in my opinion) - all of the above had contracts on the table when I had only been unemployed for about a month at the heigh of a recession - which shows how recession proof the gambling industry is. One of my best mates who I got a job in Malta is now in Panama and has offered me a job there if I want it - don't know if could drag the family to South America though. I've also got my eye on Canada, got quite a bit of family out there and have visted twice in the last 4 years. The problem is I need the US market to open up for there to be any chance of getting a job there - the only jobs at the minute are in ****in Indian reservations in Montreal, **** french speaking indians.
Aye, if I was going to Canada it wouldn't be the Froggy bit. Not a fan of the French or anyone who was colonised by the French. I don't fancy Oz either it has never appealed to me. The Americans are weird with their attitude to gambling, although they have been slowly relaxing laws over the last decade. Used to be Vegas was the main place and all the others were just dumps where you could gamble but Atlantic City and reservation casinos have changed that a bit. You've got yourself into a good career because people will always want to gamble. Been going on since man has been using currency and probably even before that. I'm sure the cavemen bet on bits of meat or a nice stone, something like that.
They live not far outside Ballymena on a farm as far as I know. He moved over here for nearly 20 years too, but he's back over now.
I'm the same, my mates big brother is the same age as you though and he spent every summer over there for years. But again the chances of knowing him as slim to none. Monday morning probably isn't the best time to try and remember folk who you may or may not have met either.
