The Least Worst – 13th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments

Wouldn’t it be great to be the least worst
And given pontificated names
Promoted due to the complete lack of options
The last man standing remains

Qualified without merit or skills
Is it possible to win the hearts and minds
Of those who pay your bills
When the sun from your backside blinds?

Today I’m feeling:

Tired. Apparently, I slept before 10 pm last night and then woke up again this morning just before 9 am.

If being so tired is connected with kratom then it’s an easy fix but if it is related to exercise that will be a bit annoying as I need to keep up my energy levels and keep off the fat.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

It not raining this morning, even though I had tempted fate by riding the bike to Utopia.

The best thing about today was:

Getting into a flow state again, like yesterday. I did a fair bit of catching up with reading poetry but only managed to write one fairly average one myself.

After that, though, I got stuck back into writing more lessons and found that time really enjoyable. I imagine myself in the classroom and how some students will react and be inspired or provoked into doing some work.

It doesn’t often end up that way and I realise that I have to tweak things as I go but it all helps fill me with confidence. I think that is half the trick of being a teacher. Faking confidence!

Something I learned today?

I found that I can listen to the AFL games live on my phone. I was checking in on the Port/Hawks game this evening and though it’s not as good as watching, it is a little better than only getting the 15-minute mini-match highlights.

Port got through by the skin of their teeth and were running tired by the end, which is good news as we will play them next week in Sydney.

Despite getting slaughtered by them 6 or 7 weeks ago, I think we have a good chance of making it through to the grand final again this year. Playing the Hawks would’ve been a tougher prospect.

Pack Yr Bags – 12th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 9 Comments

“On yr bike!” she said

But I was already prepared
Bags packed and stacked

Taking all my lovers with me
Contained on the pages
Where there is every poem I’ve ever written

Submitted to WDYS #253 (attached picture prompt) and the form and idea inspired after reading this poem as The Skeptic’s Kaddish.

Today I’m feeling:

A little tired still, as I woke up in the night, as Amy was restless and worried about the flooding. Thankfully, all seems ok at her parents’ so far but water levels are still increasing in certain areas.

Her stupid brother booked himself a flight from Bangkok and despite everyone telling him to stay there, he insists on coming. This morning, the airport road is flooded and the flight is delayed and he’s thinking to fly to Chiang Mai! Why!?

Amy asked him why he wants to come when he couldn’t even get to the family home and he just replied that he misses home. Something is not right in his brain!

This is the underpass at the airport. Thankfully, the water isn’t too high on the road but still, the airport soon closed this morning.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The one pharmacy today that had the Tiger Balm that Amy wanted. The four I tried yesterday all had a different type.

It seems she has gotten herself a bruised rib from slipping over at the weekend when we were cleaning the house. One of those injuries that hurts more after a few days.

She’s taking a bit easy and I am her little slave boy when required.

The best thing about today was:

Getting some flow whilst sitting at Utopia and putting together a couple of lessons. Once I get into that state, I just want to keep going but it was already lunchtime.

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I sent a message to all my students asking if they are all doing ok. Most are but some are telling me that they are about to be flooded. It’s weird because at my house it has already stopped raining and the sun is out!

I found this picture on Instagram. This is the road and entrance to my school.

It’s Voodoo, Man – 11th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 5 Comments

Enthralled by perceived charisma, you will hear these words oft-repeated
We will provide you what you deserve of which you’ve been cheated
The masks will swap, convincing you that change means not the same
Scapegoating other players is just the way ahead in this game

There’s no escaping the treadmills that you yourself wished created
Signed on to the terms and conditions that we have dictated
Ignorance is a more terrible curse than anything we could invent
So the illusion must be maintained with your monies well spent

I tried some long-line rhyming! The initial inspiration for this was the 7th line, taken from the comic Shadowman – hence the title.

Today I’m feeling:

Super tired. I slept before 10 last night and was in a deep, deep sleep for most of the night and did not want to get up this morning but I did push myself and did a little exercise again.

I was sitting in my room, about to leave, when Amy called me and asked if the school was open because the river had burst its banks and Tessaban 6 school is closed and the bypass is closed too, forcing everyone onto the highway, which usually floods at points too.

I called Kru Tang and she suggested staying home until she got more details. So I could’ve slept even longer if I wanted!

I pushed myself out to Utopia, where I’m sitting now and will do some work.

At 10.30, a message came through that the school will be closed until Monday! Woohoo! One teacher commented that the river is up on the bridge now, which, if I had gone to school, may have meant that I couldn’t get home!

Health:

Physical: 6
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

No more rain today, at least in our area and we are not affected by any flooding here. It was actually worse here for us last week.

Someone shot a video from ThaTon showing the overflowing river rushing through just under the bottom of the bridge, and all that water was heading towards the city.

The best thing about today was:

Probably having Amy warn me about the flooding before leaving home this morning.

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

Amy is closely following events just in case her parents and/or friends are likely to have any problems overnight. I know she’s very worried about it.

I feel more calm as there is really nothing I can do at the moment.

Something I learned today?

I came across a current documentary about kratom use in the USA. It seems that entrepreneurs there are extracting the active elements from it and boosting up the efficacy and it’s starting to cause health problems, including death.

I was just wondering today if my tiredness is from taking kratom. I hadn’t had any for about six weeks and noticed that I wasn’t sleeping as well as before. I’ve slept very well since taking it again this week, but then I also noticed that I feel exhausted at the end of the day.

However, I’m also wondering if my tiredness is due to the fact that I started exercising again this week, too. Maybe I need to test both of these possibilities out.

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I messaged Baipad at lunchtime, and she said that she was at Central, presumably going there after the school closed. I wished her luck to get home, as only one bridge was still open over the river.

After waking up again after an afternoon nap, Amy told me that all the bridges were closed now. I messaged Baipad again, and she told me that she had made it home.

I commiserated with Porpieng and Lin, though, as both their houses were starting to flood.

Gui took this picture of the highway from the top of his house. It soon got worse than this and though he said the cafe was ok at that time, I’m not so sure it stayed that way. Both my school and TLC were flooded by late afternoon.

Thinking Cap – 10th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments

A useless politic
Thoughts no longer stick
Subdued by a trick
– Of the missing thinking cap

Look twice before the leap
A hole twice as deep
A perfect place to sleep
– A dungeon of the mind

Tighter pull the chains
Against the thrashing strains
So little air remains
– Just a silent scream

Submitted to Poets and Storytellers United – scream and Ovi Poetry Challenge 64 – think

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good once I got up and going.

Last night, Cap was in our room when we turned out the light, but when I was almost asleep, he wanted to get out. That was ok, and I was drifting off again after about five minutes.

Then suddenly, the screams and cries of both our cats fighting shocked us both awake, and we ran out to find them with claws in each other and fur everywhere over the floor.

After separating them, we found that Cap was bleeding from his paw and one of his nails was pulled completely out. As we cleaned up his wound, we were both fully awake again.

We put Cap back in our room and kept him in until early morning.

When my alarm went off, I was in the middle of a sex dream based on a true story that Amy had told me last night. I contemplated grabbing an extra few minutes, but pushed myself to get up and was glad that I did.

(Later) It has been grey and raining all day, which has dampened my mood a little and at 5 pm I’m already feeling sleepy.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The pharmacy in Central for finally having some Ultracet in stock again.

The best thing about today was:

Coming home after lunch and getting a lot of comic reading in. A suitable dull rainy day for reading.

We also watched Wolverine and Deadpool this evening, and I enjoyed all the comic-book references in it, but the movie itself was pretty average.

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

The room that I had been borrowing for the grade 10 class was in use today, so amongst the students and me, we had to find another classroom for our lesson. I eventually found one in building five, though the tables and chairs were all stacked away, which made it a bit awkward.

With it being dull and rainy too, the kids weren’t in much of a mood to study either, but we got through.

Something I learned today?

Tangmo came to visit when I got home and I fed him a snack as usual. When I’ve seen him in the last few days, I noticed that he had a little difficulty chewing and swallowing the snacks and today I saw why.

I pulled back his jowls and saw that his top left canine had been pulled out of the gum but there was still gum around the whole tooth, so that it was just hanging off that and flapping around in his mouth. It looked crazy and annoying.

Unsure if the family across the road knew about it, I went over to Auntie’s next door and showed them. They will tell their relatives about it, though I don’t know if they’ll bother to do anything.

Another Aysenur – 9th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Shot in the head, stabbed in the back
On the wrong side of the borders
Death comes swiftly to the citizens
No longer following orders

Broken moral compasses
All are lost and left stumbling
Blind to the colour of others’ blood
Our humanity is crumbling

Two wrongs have no right
To dictate the future states
Endless repetition is all
A corrupt morality creates

Counting down the days….

Today I’m feeling:

Ok but the grey rainy skies are very dull and uninspiring, tricking me into feeling a little down.

I got back to a little exercise this morning and though I still have phlegm stuck in my throat, causing me some breathing difficulty, I don’t have any other symptoms at the moment.

Health:

Physical: 8
Mental: 8

Today I’m grateful for:

After what I wrote on Saturday about more new releases, I decided to get involved with working with the label Flaxxist and I’m grateful that they agreed and were appreciative of my help, too.

Now, I’d better find out their actual name!

The best thing about today was:

Being a little bit unsure about my lessons today, I was happy that the grade 12 kids knuckled down to what I had set them to do and came up with good results.

In my first grade 8 class, I was still putting together a word search task as the kids came in and after they completed that, I was happily surprised that they mostly all did well in a spelling test with words they have learned throughout this semester.

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

Randomly talking with Kru Mai, he just happened to mention that the last week of this month is Scout Week again! So that means that we are done teaching at the end of next week!

I can’t imagine the kids being too crazy about doing Scout Week for the last week of their semester! Lots will skip it, I’m sure!

Something I learned today?

For some reason, a student whom I taught for a semester a couple of years ago popped into my head as I hadn’t seen her in our high school. But I couldn’t remember her name.

I asked Piano when I saw her but she wasn’t sure who I meant. Then I found Pat and August and they told me it was Yok and that now she is at Damrong, studying computer software.

I hope she’s doing well.

Review your acts, Good and bad.

After my last class, I left the room pretty quickly and ended up chatting with many students whom I came across. A little later, a message came through to the teacher’s group with a photo of the room, with the chairs all messed up and posters fallen from the walls. The posters keep falling off, no matter how many times they get put up, but I should’ve had the students help straighten up the chairs at least. My bad.

Momo took this picture because she needed a picture of me as part of her interviewing me for some task in her Thai class. Then she took a few more for fun. Pan, me, Namsai and Momo.

House Of Secrets – 8th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Cain will never stop killing his brother
There is no path to peace
Perpetually fighting one another
A house of secrets has no keys
Each morning another death repeated
Each night let the tribe increase
The human condition cannot be cheated
Until, in time, the tribe will cease

Inspired by Nick Cave’s explanation of the song Frogs and ‘let the tribe increase’ is taken from The Mob’s album of the same name.

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good again, forcing myself to get up slowly at 7.30 am. I want to try and get into the groove that I was in yesterday and get shit done!

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The cheap McVities chocolate biscuits from the ‘blue shop’ (easier to say than Thanapiraya!).

Also to Poowanat at Heaven and Hell for paying up front for the records I sent down to him this morning.

And the lady at the post office again for patiently helping me get all my packages sent.

Also, after my successful grammar lesson on Friday, I screenshot a load of other grammar ideas to put some lessons together next week.

The best thing about today was:

Watching the Swans beat GWS in a thrilling match that was even tense for me just watching the mini-match replay.

Amy came in from the kitchen to see what was scaring the cats. It was me, clapping and whooping.

GWS led throughout the whole game and I gave it up before half time but somehow they got their shit together and got ahead with only a couple of minutes to go. Awesome start to the day (after coffee, of course).

Also, after my disappointment with my guitaring yesterday, today I bashed along with a bunch of familiar songs and felt a lot better for it.

Something I learned today?

Half a million Israelis protested today against Netanyahu’s actions against Palestine, demanding a ceasefire to get the remaining hostages back. How many were protesting the genocide of the Palestinians?

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I sent a six-month follow-up message to Earn to check in with her and see how she is doing again. I don’t see her around much at school now.

I also sent a message to Lydia since she left a couple of months ago for a new school.

Thinker’s Tableau – 7th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 16 Comments

An audience quiet
Digests careful words
Rapt in attention
Honesty demands
A thoughtful response
Worthy of the room

To conjure reply
And beg discussion
Once contemplated
Wind blows back and forth
To bend and not break
Careful and controlled

To think and wonder
Share our differences
Arrive at conclusions
Agreed to or not
Left to meditate
Played well for pleasure

Shared with No Theme Thursday (attached picture prompt) and dVerse MTB – tableau
16th Dec 2024 – Shared with Ragtag Daily Prompt – meditate

Today I’m feeling:

Quite well rested, waking up at nine this morning, though I think I may have slept after midnight as I was into reading comics.

Health:

Physical: 7 Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

Selling a couple of items online after a quick post on Bandcamp and Facebook and then getting some more of the HighxVoltage/Speech Odd LPs out to HV and Heaven and Hell in Bangkok. Days like this make me feel more connected.

The best thing about today was:

Finding a couple of cool Thai bands through a random discovery on Facebook, contacting the record label and the guy there saying that he thought tenzenmen was cool. It’s nice to get some positive feedback.

And despite thinking just a couple of days ago I can’t afford to be getting involved with any more releases yet, today I’m wondering if I can be part of these band’s upcoming output. Sigh!

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

I ran out of steam this afternoon as I primarily went to my room to write and play guitar but got stuck into packing up all the orders and requests for merch. By the time I picked up the guitar, I couldn’t stick with it for more than ten minutes and then when I sat down to write, I couldn’t find much inspiration.

That’s fine, though. Tomorrow is another day and I will get some writing done then.

Something I learned today?

The local post office is only open from 9 am until noon but at least it opens those hours on Sunday, too now.

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I swept up the leaves in the entertainment area of my own volition.

I cleaned up the rat!

I cleaned up the litter trays at Amy’s request.

The Infection – 6th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Let’s get serious
This is no time to sleep
Now we’re in business
Gulp the air in deep
Let’s get serious
This is no drum circle of friends
Roar out your heart
As if your life depends
Laugh until it hurts
And all that’s broken mends
Let’s get serious

A fold poem variation inspired by the folks I used to see in the park every Saturday morning when I took my son to swimming class. I forget their group’s name but they were essentially a Laughter Club and would stand in a circle and force themselves to laugh loudly. Submitted to dVerse’s Poetics: Just for Laughs prompt.

Today I’m feeling:

A little blurry but a little better again. I still have phlegm stuck in my throat but it’s not as intense as before. I’m starting to get back to normal.

It was also good to get back to school today and get me off my lazy ass and into the maelstrom of kid craziness.

(Later) By the end of the day, I’m feeling almost back to normal and motivated again. Hooray!

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

Still being motivated enough when I got home to get out into my room and get some stuff sorted, though I ran out of energy before I could play any guitar.

The best thing about today was:

Enjoying all my classes today, made more entertaining by there being fewer students and being able to spend more time interacting.

It probably helped that everyone was in a good mood, as we all only had one day of school this week.

I also think that I will try to copy the format of today’s lessons, as they were relatively simple compared with some that I try to teach.

Something I learned today?

Hawthorn smashed the Bulldogs tonight, so both Geelong and Hawthorn are looking good right now. The Swans game is tomorrow and I am nervous and excited. It’s going to be a tough task to win the Premiership this year.

Spin Sorrow – 5th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 12 Comments

Spin your sorrow into strength
Weave new words of wisdom
From your free-spun mind

Deny spider thoughts at length
A lost control decision
Loosened the threads that bind

Put back together the unravelled
With stories around the campfire
And a beaten-up guitar

A quadrille (44 words) for dVerse Quadrille #207 – spin and first line inspired and paraphrased from this poem ‘Losing my grip’ by Carol Anne

Today I’m feeling:

A little tired and still with a croaky throat. I don’t feel as sick as I did at the beginning of the week, though. I didn’t sleep so well as my hips were aching again. If it’s not my neck, then it’s my hips!

Maybe I’ve been lying down too much this week, though and need to get back to moving again.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

Receiving some of the things I ordered online today. Cat food, granola and kratom.

The best thing about today was:

I was happy to find out today that Amy’s health check turned out well. I should get mine done, too; they have a special price deal until the end of the year.

Also for receiving an overseas vinyl order, plus possible distro to Germany and Japan. I need to get back into my room and packing stuff to ship.

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

The plan was to go to Big C after running Amy around at the hospital so that I could get some more Duocets at the pharmacy there, but the doctor wasn’t due there for another three hours.

They told me that he’ll be there all day tomorrow, though, so at least I can pick them up then. I’m down to the last one.

Something I learned today?

Big C is stocking the yoghurt I like now, so if Makro runs out, I can try there too.

I took this picture because these seed pods are pretty unusual to me and stood out in the driveway.

Thumbing Kerouac – 4th September 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 7 Comments

Thumbing Kerouac again with a sigh
Yearning to be back on the road once more
The vines of fear wrap around my thigh
Rooting me here to tap at the door

The flash of sky will release the rain
The vanishing days despoil this trip
Blind to the trickles down the pane
And the candle top’s constant drip

Strong we are in the sun
Knowing one day
the rains will come

Submitted to WDYS #252 (picture prompt above) and Wordle #669 (12 words below)

Today I’m feeling:

A little bit better again, thankfully. I did sleep in this morning, though, which probably helped.

Health:

Physical: 6
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The lady at the post office who put up with my bullshit, asking her to give me prices on a package, with me taking bits out and then asking for a new price… and then asking for other available options and those prices. I wai’d her sincerely afterwards.

The best thing about today was:

Finding that someone had put up the latest Stewart Lee special on YouTube, and I watched it immediately as there’s a good chance it will soon get taken down again.