Month: May 2024

The Silence – 31st May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 18 Comments

The sadness is creeping
– Into my periphery
Until it overwhelms

Salty tears a-weeping
– All about is sucking me
Deep into darker realms

My old friend
– A bitter taste of blood
A dull aching head

Let’s not pretend
– That this is good
But sleep instead

Submitted to dVerse Quadrille #202 – Darkness and Poets and Storytellers United #129

Today I’m feeling:

Tired but kept running by knowing that it’s the end of the week.  Six hours of hot and humid teaching even with brief respites in the aircon have been completely draining.  

I’m home now and will make myself a salad soon.  

I took three of the magic mushroom pills that I got from Matt and can feel a sense of pleasure rising in me and will watch some comedy to wind down the evening.

Today I’m grateful for:

Kru Den, (I’m not sure if that’s her name actually) who lent me her Bluetooth speaker for my second class.  I gave her a frangipani flower in return.  I’d gotten it from a student earlier, who had put it behind my ear.

The best thing about today was:

Getting some good feedback on some of my recent poems.  I didn’t get a chance to write anything new today but whereas I used to be about a week behind in posting poetry I’m now a month ahead.  I’m enjoying writing and learning different forms and playing with it a little more.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

I snuck up on Nong Fah and stuck a wet finger in her ear as she was lying down looking at her phone in a classroom. She went off in a huff and Jet said that she had PMS and had been moody all day (although she was fine in the morning when I saw her).

Knowing that it is best not to do anything more I played a bit with some other students but saw Fah dabbing her eyes with a tissue and looking really upset.  I watched her from a distance and wondered at the loss of emotional control that many females get once a month.  I can never really understand what that must feel like.

I caught her eye before I left for my own class and tried to express my sympathy with her.

Almost instantly on arriving at my own class, I could see that KanomBang was grumpy with me and her friends tried to explain that she too had PMS.  “That thing…..girls….once a month…”  I love it when the kids realise that they successfully communicated something in their second language.

Anyway, KB soon picked herself up a little bit and was ok.

It’s so weird to see the bewilderment on these kids’ faces when they go through this.  Like ‘Why the fuck am I feeling like this and can’t change it?’

After I got home I messaged a mini heart to Fah and said that I was sorry she was upset in the classroom.  She too, had recovered herself a little by then and was happy to chat a little.  I told her I was sorry I snuck a wet finger in her ear and she laughed and said she was sorry that she behaved the way she did, which I, of course, told her there was no need to apologise.

As an aside, interestingly my super smart grade 8 student Film questioned me in class why I treated boys and girls differently, something that he had picked up on perhaps when the ‘couple’ in the class were ‘fighting’ with each other.  I say ‘fighting’ because it is really just puppy love quarrel-play – nothing serious.

The kids listening were very interested when I replied that I treat girls differently because of the way I can see they are treated in Thai society and that boys are seen as superior and are spoiled more.  This got them talking a lot and whilst the girls agreed in general they said that their own families treated them like princesses.

It was an interesting idea to leave them with, to think and talk about.

Something I learned today?

I learned that Monday is a day off and on Wednesday students won’t come to school.  

Apparently, there will be a sports event at the stadium for about 10 days which is going to make traffic even worse in the mornings.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I gave Nicha a little pep talk when she was looking down this morning.

After I’d finished teaching I saw my old grade 9 students with Kru David and I checked in with a few of them who were struggling with his work.  Earn was all happy with herself because she told me that she had finished and, being a little suspicious, I asked if she had copied someone she shushed me and immediately admitted that she had.

I asked her what program she might do next year and she said the Chef program. I said that’s great and encouraged her to at least get what she could out of being in the English program this year.

As I was leaving I saw Aida sitting by herself and also looking down.  I actually didn’t recognise her at first as her head was tilted downwards with her hair covering her face.  Her friends said that she was upset and tired today and when I met her at lunchtime she was resting her head on the table but with a quick chat she said that she would be ok to do my work in the afternoon.

I was intent on leaving quickly but seeing her again I stopped and sat with her and also gave her a little pep talk. She didn’t say much until I asked her if everything was ok at home and she opened up that she was having some problems with her mum.  We didn’t get into it but I told her that she can talk to me at any time if she needs to.

Immersion – 30th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 7 Comments

No moon, no stars distract
My world is on this page
Immersed in the act
A real story for this age

A wide world, web wild
Spinning in my head
Weaving my inner child
With the written and said

Wonders of the word
My world on this page
Only silence is heard
Projected from the stage

Submitted to WDYS #240

Today I’m feeling:

A little tired but positive.  Snoozed my alarm and skipped exercise this morning otherwise I feel like I will be totally exhausted by tomorrow night.

I’ll see how I feel tomorrow morning but hope to do some exercise again.  I can feel my abs holding me together a little better!

Today I’m grateful for:

All the folks that grew the watermelon, picked, cut and packed it and sold it to me in the market this afternoon.  Refreshing and cooling.

The best thing about today was:

After school, I did a quick walk around the lake again to see who was around and bumped into my quiet grade 8 students Earn and Nampan who I had also just finished teaching about 15 minutes earlier.

I asked them if they liked studying with me and they both grew big smiles and said yes and when I asked them why they said that the class was fun and that I am funny.

It was nice to hear that and made me feel good.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

The afternoon grew super humid and dealing with a restless class of grade 8s was hard work and made me sweaty.  Film came and stood next to me waving a fan saying that I was sweating too much.

When I bumped into some other students they said that I looked tired and I realised that I was feeling it and when I got home I went straight out to pick up some food at the walking street.

I had planned to go and eat with Baipad and her sister later on but couldn’t wait.

Something I learned today?

Teaching my grade 12 class about IELTS today I asked the students what they knew about it, what they wanted to know and at the end of the lesson, what they had learned.

During this lesson, we all learned that the test costs about 7,350 baht here in Thailand.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I sent a message of support to Namsai who cried in class today because others made fun of her not knowing how to spell a word.  I got really upset with the rest of the class about it at the time.

Whilst not particularly vile I did cut in traffic on the way to school and upset some ute-driving workers who sped up to force me out.

The last traffic lights before school are a pain in the ass and take too long because of the way they are set up (just one direction can enter the junction at a time).  As the turning lane moves the slowest I usually drive down the freer lanes and cut in which is usually easy because the Thais are either so chill or so lacking in attention that they don’t move quickly and leave big gaps to cut into.

Driving to school is probably my least favourite part of the day.

I took this picture last night as our birdy was on her nest. I had to stand in our living room behind the blinds and then zoom in to get this shot without frightening her off.

Maybe One Day – 29th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 4 Comments

Maybe one day
I’ll laugh on my birthday
Devour the cake you made
As you got drunk
Waiting for the sponge to rise

Maybe one day
We’ll be lost in love again
Taking photos in the park
Fresh-faced
And newly dyed hair

Maybe one day
I’ll bring flowers to your work
And your colleagues
Will look at you with longing
To be just as loved

Maybe one day
To scratch the travel itch
We’ll be taken away
In different directions

Maybe one day
All the plans I made
Will be forgotten
Just lists on fading paper
A reminder

Maybe one day
We’ll look at each other
And celebrate together
This journey made
Surrounded by our comforts

Maybe one day
The cats long gone
I’ll push you along
Complaining about my knee
And we’ll chat about the future

Submitted to the Weekly Prompts Challenge and inspired by When You’re Gone by Colleen Looseleaf

Today I’m feeling:

A little tired but was able to push through to do some exercise again – another AI-generated one that I ended up running through twice as it is quite short.  My abs were burning but feel ok now.

It’s super humid this morning which is energy-sapping and my first class were difficult to keep engaged and under control but I didn’t let it bother me too much.

Nomsen was messaging her mum online and then burst into tears for some reason.

After she calmed down I told her that she shouldn’t be talking with anyone outside the class during the lesson and that if she does some study it will take her mind off things.

She complained of a headache and I know she finds English too difficult but I just tried to push her to not give up.

Phu was also sleepy in the class and he also struggles with English.  The kids told me that he was up late working last night but that’s not my problem.  I guide and encourage him as best as I can but expect very little from him.

Today I’m grateful for:

My 4-hour break between classes during the day.  It gave me lots of time to catch up on some things that I wanted to read and some writing too.  I won’t have much free time for the next two days so it’s just as well.

The best thing about today was:

Hmm…nothing stands out in particular but it was a pleasurable and consistent day that I enjoyed very much.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

I haven’t managed to get to my room to play guitar for a couple of nights now and I really want to.  

I’m doing a bit more lesson planning in the evenings because I’m worried that I don’t have enough things prepared for all these new classes – and I’ve hamstrung myself a little by asking the students what they want to learn about rather than just giving them canned lessons.

Something I learned today?

I talked with S* again today about what she told me on Monday about sometimes showering with her stepdad when she’s tired.  And she confirmed it and the way she described it does seem to be completely innocent and is not some kind of regular thing. Like a naturist family or something like that.

I warned her to be careful who she tells about this and she said she understood that and only mentions it to me because she trusts me.

Because of her exposure to Western culture, she considers herself only 10% Thai.  Maybe as a Westerner, she was testing to see how normal this situation was.  I told her it was pretty unusual.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

As Amy flew to Bangkok to visit Nong Mai and Yaya today and will be away until Sunday I have to find my own food.  No problem, I thought, as the market would be on at the University.

As I knew that Baipad’s mum was still away, I asked if she and her sister wanted to come with me to get some food there and so I picked them up and we drove up to the Uni but because most of the students had gone home for the end of the semester the market was cancelled.

We drove around and eventually found a cheap Korean shop to eat at.

When was the last time I felt a sense of freedom?

The one time that I felt it really noticeably was on my trips to China.

On my first visits, I was surprised to see how free the environment was and I likened it to being at a large free music festival with folks just getting on with what they needed to do.  It was a far cry from my corporate work environment and the nanny state society of Australia.

Of course, for me, I was a tourist and enjoyed the freedom of being on holiday but I sensed it amongst the people in general there.  For them, it was probably just business as usual and normal.

I guess we tend to see more freedom outside of our own environments as we count every negative against us with more weight and take for granted a lot of other things.  It’s a reason to consider that one culture cannot be better than another.  Just different.

I feel this freedom living here in Thailand too but do understand that it is only in comparison with my experiences elsewhere before.

I’m really anti-stupidity laws such as jaywalking, which was enforced in Sydney CBD with a brutal crackdown and over-the-top fines.  On my first trip to China, I remember watching as pedestrians grouped together and slowly forced the cars on the road to stop and let them cross.

I imagine it is much different there now, with probably fifty times the number of cars on the road since but it showed me that people don’t need a law to counter stupidity.  If you are hit by a car whilst trying to cross the road you only have yourself to blame.

Same with holes in the sidewalk.  If you are not looking where you are going it’s your fault if you fall in.  Don’t blame the folks that made the hole.

Yes, things could be better and safer but not everything needs a law and its enforcement.  I mention enforcement as in Thailand there are many laws but they are laxly enforced.  Sometimes, this makes sense.

Which place from my childhood do I most fondly remember?

Without doubt that would be Forest Cottage – my home from aged 9 until about 20.

Most particularly my bedroom, where a lot of partying went on along with all the other ups and downs that teenagers have to struggle through.  It was my space to invite others in or shut them out.

I took this picture last week because… well, it was a pretty evening as I rode home from No Name and the reflection in the lake attracted me enough to stop.

Inklings – 28th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

I get the feeling you are
Always impatient to arrive
As to why lips are burning shut
My space dreams a guttering flame
Burning the world
After the rain

To learn its secrets, get its power
Needs no spotlight, no orchestra
The inklings of chaos are cleverly concealed
But how do I explain
The shriek and howl of party boys
In a dark, secluded spot

Inspired but too late to submit to the dVerse April cento challenge. Cento: A literary work pieced together from the works of several authors
Line 1: Peter
Line 2: Dwight L. Roth
Line 3: Sanaa Rizvi
Line 4: Rob Kistner
Line 5: Kim Whysall- Hammond
Line 6: gillena
Line 7: Jedediah Smith
Line 8: Ron. Lavalette
Line 9: Punam
Line 10: Colleen Looseleaf
Line 11: Brendan
Line 12: kittysverses

Today I’m feeling:

Good.  I was having a crazy dream when my alarm went off but I was so deep in it that I instantly couldn’t remember it.  My first thought after turning the alarm off was ‘What was I just dreaming!?’

I forced myself out to my room where I discovered that the exercise app I use can now generate an AI routine targeted at your choice of muscle groups and it was good.  It pushed me a little more than normal and I was glad of it.

Hopefully, it is a feature that I can continue using for free as I’ve only ever used the free routines in the app.

Today I’m grateful for:

The random students who told me that they missed me.  I don’t even know who they were but I’m assuming that I have taught them recently and am just not familiar with them yet.

The best thing about today was:

My class of grade 10s this afternoon, which also had a whole bunch of new students added that I had to quickly familiarise myself with, who quickly picked up on the activities that I was teaching and got a little competitive with each other.  

By the end, it seemed everyone enjoyed it despite some students struggling with English and not really being interested.

Something I learned today?

Kru Tang now works in the high school and has been tasked with putting together the new Integrated Program.  She seemed just as frustrated as everyone else with this task.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I walked around the park after classes to see who was hanging where and with who.  I found Baipad in her usual place with another girl I didn’t recognise but soon learned that it was Cookie, Butter’s younger sister.

I had meant to ask Baipad to introduce me to her one morning as I knew that she would be starting here this semester but then forgotten all about it.

I’ve met so many new students already this semester that I can’t even bring Cookie’s face to mind again right now.

I gave them both a candy and Baipad asked me why I always had candy.  I laughingly said that it is because I am a good person and I jokingly complained to her about why she never gives me anything.

Amy took this picture because we have new housemates staying on our balcony. The plant that they have nested on is a little too close to curious cats so we raised it up on a chair where hopefully our cats decide that they are too lazy to investigate further.

A Few Syllables – 27th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

All it takes is a word
A few syllables could start it all
Pick a pill to swallow
Which side of the fence to fall?

All of the grasses green
Yet muddied by the other
Pick a path to follow
Cling tight to your brother

All it takes is a word
A few syllables to end everything
They all rang so hollow
With the violence they bring

All it takes is a word
A few syllables to make peace
To calm the stormy weather
And hostilities to cease

Today I’m feeling:

A little slow still.  I felt really tired when I went to bed but then found that I couldn’t get to sleep and then when I woke up it felt like it must still be the middle of the night but it was already getting light.

I had a very dry mouth and was finding it difficult to breathe. I skipped exercise hoping to get an extra few minutes of sleep but I just ended up tossing and turning.

I was thinking about school and how Amy said that it was unfair that I was given extra hours to teach while Princess George could just walk away from classes that he doesn’t want to teach.

I was also thinking that maybe I’m investing too much time in my students and need to balance things better.  It does bring me great pleasure though and I felt happy to walk around this morning with many students, old and new, wanting to fist-bump and chat.

Today I’m grateful for:

That my first time with another new class of grade 12 students was pretty easy despite a poor standard of English for many students.

They were all excited when I asked them for ideas of something for me to teach them in English and chose things like ghosts, psychology, Naruto and NASA.  It got me up and running with many ideas which I can reuse again later for other classes.

The best thing about today was:

Teaching.  It was enjoyable and I feel like I’m pretty well on top of things though I know that I have a lot of planning ahead still.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Amy was still wound up by the builder who responded to a Facebook post that Amy made questioning his lack of professionalism.  This was the only way that she has managed to get a response from him and he was trying to transfer his anger back to Amy.

He was somewhat successful with that but her mum and I calmed her down a little and we talked more about it when I got home so that we are both on the same page with the details.

I’m not sure if we will get any refund and I’m not banking on it but we’ll give it a try and see if he has any remorse for running away from his responsibility.

Something I learned today?

Something odd when talking with a grade 12 student called S*. She told me that her stepfather is from the Netherlands and he always speaks English with her and that is one reason that her English is reasonable and that she speaks straightforwardly and directly, which often upsets her Thai classmates.

But the odd thing was that she mentioned that her stepdad sometimes showers with her and dries her off.  I wasn’t sure if I misheard what she said and she was so blasé about it that perhaps she did think it’s normal and there’s nothing untoward about it.

It was definitely weird to hear that for me though.  I will try and get clarification from her some time though.

Oh, and Southampton beat Leeds to get promoted to the Premier League which is a little treat I enjoyed.  I’m happy for my old friends in Southampton and because Leeds are the team that my old grumpy workmate Robert supported.

I took this picture because my old students are always happy to see me.  I hope I can see some of them again in high school. Me, Tonaor, Namthip, Dena, Nicha, Mei, August, Namkhing and Fah.

Flesh – 26th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 8 Comments

Far into the future food will be hard to find
But will have evolved with an ever-greater mind
Time travel will be normal but only to the past
Once the first one comes, it’s sure not to be the last

Back all those million years, so much free-roaming meat
Bring it back to the future for everyone to eat
But our future selves became so filled with greed
Making the same mistakes, taking more than they need

So supplies were running out, there was only so much flesh
Standards demanding that everything must be fresh
Man still not smart enough to know it’s all interlinked
And so that’s how the story goes, the dinosaurs became extinct

Submitted to Reena’s Xploration Challenge #332 and inspired by the 2000AD story ‘Flesh’
26th Sep 2024 – Submitted to Ragtag Daily Prompt – dinosaur

Today I’m feeling:

Still tired and a little slow.  The weekends with no stress or early morning commitments means a big wind down.  So, it’s been a little bit of a quiet day.

Today I’m grateful for:

The workers working on the road.  As the rains have gotten heavier the way out from our house to the road has completely muddied up (even a big truck got stuck out there this morning).  Amy asked them to fix it for us and they did.  I haven’t seen it yet but will find out in the morning.

The best thing about today was:

Playing guitar and feeling like enjoying it again.  It’s been a struggle for the last few weeks but today felt good and spent nearly an hour playing traditional songs in Yousician and then another 30 minutes smashing out punk tunes in Capo.  I’m still terrible but today it doesn’t bother me.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Amy is a little short with me because I took her cookies to Utopia and to Baipad this morning and I think she’s thinking that I care too much about other people and/or that I don’t like her cookies and so giving them away.

I’m trying just to be normal and carry on and Amy is also busy with her student’s assignments.

I love Amy more than anything but also need to think of ways to keep showing her that.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I wasn’t going to do much of anything today but after I got home from coffee I was surprised to get a message from Baipad asking if I could take her and her sister to Big C as they wanted to go see a movie.

I asked her if her mum was ok with it and if she was then I could take her.  She said her mum was ok (but I’m not certain that she was!) and so I went to pick them up.  It was there that they told me that their mum was in Bangkok!

Well, I put my trust in Baipad and dropped them off and hoped for the best.

Later in the afternoon, she said that they got back home (by Grab I guess) and everything was fine.

I got sent this picture because it seems Little Art and Noey enjoyed Amy’s cookies.

Dancing In The Street – 25th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 5 Comments

I used to enjoy the dance of days
Seized each second in many ways
Yet the sunshine never stays
– And here I am contemplating

I’d foxtrot my way through the rains
Tango a message that explains
Until only a rumba remains
– To leave the fat lady waiting

Waited she did until too late
I could not escape this certain fate
And ever since that fatal date
– I walk the streets alone

Thinking of a flamenco strut
Dressed and shaved, hair clean cut
Nowadays I’m anything but
– Can’t even dance on home

Submitted to No Theme Thursday and Ovi Poetry Challenge 49

Today I’m feeling:

My usual Saturday morning tired already.  It’s only been a three-day workweek for me too.

Last night I felt kinda invincible. Throw anything at me and I can do it.

Come the morning and I can feel my brain struggling to connect things together. As I was reading about John Lee Hooker and BB King I was thinking about something else entirely and I can barely remember either.

Quick coffees today as we will take Nong Na out for lunch to thank her for taking care of our cats last weekend.

Today I’m grateful for:

Taking the time to go to the city for lunch, picking up Na on the way.  We got to the hotpot restaurant at 12 and I couldn’t believe that it was 2 pm when we had finished.  Time went so quick and I was very relaxed.

The best thing about today was:

The mix of the hotpot soup that soaked into the rolled-up tofu sheets, then dipped into a peanut and sesame oil sauce with chopped garlic and then a sip of some Chinese milk drink to take off the heat.  Awesome!

The staff were concerned that the soup would be too spicy for me but to be honest I could’ve done with some more Sichuan peppers in there!

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

As seems to be getting more normal these days, time is out of my control and disappearing faster than I would like.  I sat in my room after lunch and started investigating a cento poem, which required looking through lots of other people’s poetry to pick out lines from.

Doing that and catching up on some other poetry reading evaporated 3 or 4 hours and I didn’t end up coming up with anything for the cento yet.  I still need to collect more before trying to put it together.

Something I learned today?

The USA has threatened the capability to shut down chip manufacturing in Taiwan if China should invade.  The short-sightedness of the threat is incredible as it would mostly affect USA products such as Apple, nVidia etc.

There’s a lot of crazy in the world right now, perhaps I should stop looking.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

We drove to pick up Nong Na this morning as there was a bit of rain around and I drove us to the city and back.  Whilst Amy paid for lunch I paid for the durian bingsu dessert.

I also picked up a couple of 20 baht Japanese toys for Baipad and NamHom whilst at the bingsu shop.

Nong Fah took these pictures because Anchan was sleeping in class like this! I asked her later about it and she told me that Kru Ren doesn’t know anything about teaching and is difficult to understand! The kids are smart enough to know their education sucks but don’t know how to get out of it and the culture here is not to question those seen as above you.

Straying – 24th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments
Pic: Jon Tyson

Cat wild
On the wall
One eye open
Preying
An ear to the wind
Poised and small
A sniff to the spraying

Fight or flight?
Movement slight
Straying
Back arched tall
Hissing
Saying

Get out of town
Or chased on down
Rolled up into a ball
No longer playing

Picture prompt for WDYS # 239

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good considering that I was dead to the world until my alarm went off this morning.  Managed some exercise and a 5-minute (what could possibly be described as a) meditation.

Today I’m grateful for:

Finding that Sydney Swans played yesterday against the Bulldogs and so I watched the Mini Match and happy to report that we pulled through for another win.  The Swans are currently well clear at the top but there’s still a ways to go.

I’m still annoyed that I can’t watch the full matches, especially this year, as we’re doing so well!

The best thing about today was:

In my final class of the day with my grade 8s I have what you might call another ‘rogue’ student.  She, Sugus, is a friend of Aida’s and has been coming to my class occasionally since last year but now she seems to come all the time.

She’s a quiet kid and doesn’t cause any problems for me but I told her that if she wants to stay then she has to do some work, to which she agreed.

Today’s class is an easy reading class and I asked Sugus to come and read for me and she did very well, better than some of my actual students!

So I talked with her some more about why she doesn’t go to her own class and if the teacher isn’t concerned about her.  She couldn’t quite describe why she doesn’t go except that she feels bad when she does.

I’m a bit suspicious that something untoward might have happened but I didn’t push it.

Anyway, I told her that she was welcome to stay in my class and she thanked me and said that my class is fun for her.  I was quite pleased about that.

It’s weird really.  There’s no pressure on her to perform and there’s no pressure on me to teach her.  With us both relaxed about it I think she will learn a lot!

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

For my second class today, with the Hospitality grade 11s I suddenly found 12 extra students!  Without telling me, and without anyone telling them why they have put two different programs together so I’m now teaching students in the Japanese program too.  So much for my plans for this semester!  I guess I’ll jag everything in somehow.

Something I learned today?

Chatting with David he told me that George complained to Nancy that he doesn’t want to teach the new Integrated Program to the grade 10s and so, magically, he no longer is.  Now he only teaches grade 11 and 12.  What a princess!  

Last year he refused to teach grade 9 and now refuses grade 10.  Maybe time is running out for him.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

This evening I’m still helping my grade 11 students with their presentation homework and replying to their messages.

Did you do something difficult or challenging today?

As I think about it, much of the day was challenging (as described above) but somehow I seemed to take it in my stride.

Tonaor took this picture because as she likes to do sometimes when she sees me she says ‘selfie!’ and so I hand her my phone.

The Spectators – 23rd May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

The claws are out
Sharp and set to cut
Barbs fly, spat out
Promises remain nothing but

The worst of two worlds
Another political blunder
Spar at the Colosseum
A spectacle of wonder

Only one winner
All else is lost
The cogs keep on turning
For an endless cost

Submitted to Monday Poetry Prompt

Today I’m feeling:

Dog tired last night and still struggled to get to sleep but once I did I was gone! 

I woke up before my alarm but couldn’t get up when the alarm went off and reset to give an extra 20 minutes of dozing.

Not feeling too bad with my first coffee but have two busy days ahead.

Today I’m grateful for:

The pharmacist being available at Big C when I got there today.  Last week when I tried they told me that there would be no one there until 5pm.

The best thing about today was:

Bumping into my old grade 9 student Sheena as I was about to leave school.  I asked if she was happy now that I was no longer teaching her class and she said that everyone was complaining that they were missing me.

That was nice to hear and for sure, I connected with all those students really well but they drove me crazy at the time.  I hope that I have some good influence over them.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Some of the classrooms that I’m teaching in test my patience with various bits and pieces of equipment missing but I just have to take it easy and not get ruffled by it.  Everything can be overcome.

Something I learned today?

I watched an interesting interview with LA-based Chinese comedian Jiaoying Summers and it was great to see a strong woman taking control of her life and destiny against a lot of odds.

What part of my daily routine do I look forward to the most?

Most workdays I look forward to exercising in the morning. 

With my drive to try and write a poem or day (or more), I also look forward to spending time reading, thinking and writing. 

At the end of the day, I kinda look forward to writing this journal but some days are a struggle. With enough time I can usually answer all the questions but often I’m out of energy and need to go to bed.

I took this picture because I was kinda shocked to see a full moon tonight. I’ve been used to seeing the moon regularly when I go to close our gate and usually have some idea what stage it is at.

In Search Of Dry Land – 22nd May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

A song sung of departure towards a journey of woe
Giant squid squirt inky dark blinded to the flow
No fuel until Friday, at least the captain is saying so
A panorama of the horizon begs which way to go
Neglected were the whispers, part of the ocean’s show
Set light to the sails, watch the flames aglow
From officer to pilot, knowing what’s to know
Clouds clot to bring the storm and finally the blow
Graduating to the ground to see the mountains grow

A multi-prompt catch-up poem. Departure – Squid – Fuel – Panorama – Neglected – Flame – Officer – Clot – Graduate

Today I’m feeling:

Feeling tired and tense.  After finally getting up, the two Utopia coffees kicked started my brain but not my body!  Hence the feeling of tension.

Amy is wound up about the useless builder that has ripped us off for the guttering.  I’m trying to divert her focus but she’s out for blood, and obviously frustrated.

It’s annoying for sure, though I blame myself.  I got the feeling he was useless almost immediately but didn’t go with my instinct.

It’s been an average day that hasn’t seen me brighten up particularly and at only 8.15 pm I’m going to bed!

Today I’m grateful for:

The AI assistant in Quizizz that can quickly put together questions based on a text.  It’s very useful to speed up putting new lessons together.

The best thing about today was:

Writing, and enjoying writing, a new lesson for my new HAP grade 12 class.  It also inspired me to come up with more ideas that I will try to turn into more lessons.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

After dropping Amy at Cafe No Name for P’Berm’s birthday celebration I picked up some watermelon for Baipad and popcorn for her sister NamHom for her birthday.

I took this picture because Piti was chilling at the coffee machine.