Tag: cleaning

On Anger – 12th February 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Why is it cold in winter?
Why do I get sick at sea?
And why the hell do the people
In the street keep jostling me?

Today I did some things wrong
And maybe I got some things right
What can I do better next time
I’ll reflect on that each night

inspired and borrowed from Seneca

Today I’m feeling:

Good. A little nervous to get back into the classroom but it will be good to get back to it for the last five or so weeks of the semester.

Today I’m grateful for:

My step ladder and broom that allowed me to get to the leaves on the coverings of the outbuildings so that I could clean them up a little. If I want to complete the job I need to get up on the roof again. Not sure I’m quite ready for that adventure.

The best thing about today was:

My mind. From waking til bedtime my mind has been happily occupied with restful and positive thoughts. I even stopped myself a couple of times and thought ‘hey, I feel good!’ Could it be down to a good eight or nine-hour sleep? Can I convince my brain to get eight hours more often as perhaps my aim of seven hours is not serving me best?

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

All good today perhaps because I have been thinking about my classes tomorrow and how to counter the risk of them getting out of control. I’m not sure I’ve done enough but tomorrow will tell the tale.

Something I learned today?

Yesterday I learned that there is no border crossing between Turkey and Armenia. Something to do with the two countries not having good relations though I don’t know why.

Today I read Fukuyama’s The End of History essay which was written in 1989. It was an interesting read that in hindsight has perhaps been proven not to be quite as predicted. I would like to see his reflection on it now.

What brings my life meaning and purpose?

My thoughts are the only things that can bring my life meaning and purpose. My thoughts may drive me to action and those actions will be assigned meaning and purpose by my thoughts. And my actions and thoughts will be assigned meaning and purpose by others, though they may not be the same.

I took this picture because this is the friendly happy cute dog at the shop next to Utopia where I’m getting LardNa for lunch before heading to Daytripper again to hang out for the afternoon.

The Real Secret – 29th January 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Six million years of work went into this
I know it seems weird to explain
There’s no magical shortcut or formula
To access the power within your brain

inspired by Robert Greene’s Daily Laws

Today I’m feeling:

A little more clear-headed and positive.

Today I’m grateful for:

My hairdresser and her Kim Chi lookalike cat, that rolled and rubbed whilst I waited my turn. The hairdresser cuts my hair as I ask no matter how stupid it seems to her. I can fix it with gel and time as I like. I’m glad she tidies up the back and sides and even trims the hair in my ears, which does make it difficult to pull them out whilst I’m waiting in traffic but never mind, I still appreciate it.

The best thing about today was:

Watching a Chinese movie called Better Days which was pretty good and I’m glad of the fact that I was able to watch it all in one go which I’ve been finding difficult recently as I find myself getting bored more quickly with things these days perhaps victim of the TikTok quick hits of dopamine that the youth are enjoying.

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

The dirty floor is out of control and I’ve handled it by ignoring it. Next weekend Aing and Now will come and stay on Sunday so I know I will have to clean on Saturday so I’m waiting until then if I can bear it.

Something I learned today?

I watched Jordan Peterson talking about his employer asking him to attend social media reeducation classes which sounds a little odd. He’s a health expert ( I can’t remember exactly what) and sometimes posts online about things unrelated to his job such as politics.

I suppose the things he says could impact his employer by association if they were some form of hate speech and it seems like there are some folks out there who are so easily offended these days that that is what they think it is. It seems gone are the days of differing ideas and opinions.

Since the Twin Towers were destroyed you are either with us or against us, no matter what. Bin Laden has achieved exactly what he wanted as Western capitalist democracies eat themselves from the inside with this attitude.

I try to be sensitive to everyone’s opinion unless I really do find it hateful but most people’s ideas are born from ignorance or circumstance.

What is my biggest dream for the year ahead?

A lot of this type of question in January. My biggest dream is to live to see next January. A lot can happen in a year. Dream? I don’t know. I’m comfortable, I have all I need.

I took this picture because I heard Kim growling whilst I was reading in bed. It’s unusual for her to growl so I got up and found this. I don’t know who brought it in. From nose to tail, this ex-rat was longer than Kim’s body.

Day Is Done – 14th January 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

A day of too much time
Passes by lethargically slow
Nothing got done
And the day is gone before you know

Today I’m feeling:

Motivated and relaxed

Today I’m grateful for:

Our drain cleaning tool (again). It’s a bit of an effort but gets our pipes cleared 90% of the time and is a simple device. Good decision to buy it.

The best thing about today was:

Feeling like I did very little and realizing I’d done quite a lot, tasks that I knew would take some effort like fixing the screen outside my room and cleaning the gutter from the garage roof, which has my toe throbbing from a nasty cut. I’m feeling half dead and half alive. I know I could’ve done a lot more today but everything felt like there was little hurry.

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

Nothing much today. Late afternoon I found the neighbour’s kids riding around our lawn and I found it amusing kind of reminding me of my old home in Whitehaven and the garden we had there where we left it open so people could easily walk through the alleys. We had many lodgers who came and went and I was used to there being many different and changing people around.

Anyway, whilst it’s not out of my control it is something I’m choosing not to control.

Something I learned today?

I got into watching One Championship women’s atomweight fighting and had been following teenager Victoria Lee, younger sister to Angela.

Today I found out that she died on December 26th aged just 18. She didn’t look much different to my students and had a bright future ahead. Although her death has no personal meaning to me it doesn’t seem fair or right. I also feel extremely lucky to be here at 55.

Have you ever been bullied?

When I was in middle school I was bullied by older kids. I purposely stood out as the only ‘real’ punk kid and was tormented by the older kids calling me Sid. I tried to brush it off but it definitely helped make me bitter towards humanity.

I couldn’t understand how people could be so normal and boring and also not furious at the situation they were growing up into. I didn’t want to be them so I brought it on myself but better that than an average Joe.

When I became one of the older kids I sometimes resorted to bullying but I understood it wasn’t the right way to go about things. I also wasn’t beefy enough to be threatening.

I did acquire a vicious tongue though and was never afraid to speak my mind.

I took this picture because this gunk came out of my bathroom sink pipes! No wonder water was backing up. I could only unblock it so far and not sure how long it will be before I have to do this again. So much for a beautiful picture every day. However, it should be recognised I can do some dirty work every now and then. My hands aren’t always soft and clean.

Youthful Idealism – 10th October 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Where’s my youthful idealism?
I fucking want it back
Now I’m old and tired
I’d rather just hit the sack
Why am I not shouting?
Thinking to make change
Wanting the best for everyone
Surely is not so strange
When did I give up?
Did I just get distracted?
Now I’ve got what I want
And I’m no longer impacted
Where’s your youthful idealism?
Why aren’t you complaining?
My life is almost over
But yours is still remaining

How to stop time: kiss.
How to travel in time: read.
How to escape time: music.
How to feel time: write.

Matt Haig, Reasons To Stay Alive

Today I’m feeling:
Happy and on holiday
Today I’m grateful for:
The men who cleaned my bike. I know I could have done it myself but I wouldn’t have been so thorough.
The best thing about today was:
Getting some more blog stuff done whilst listening to music. Also finishing another book. I still look at my bookshelf with joyful anticipation for future reading.

Do you owe someone money? Does someone owe you?
I don’t owe money to anyone or any institutions. I am debt free.

I guess some people do owe my money but it’s in the past and doesn’t amount to much in the scheme of things.

I generally live by the rule that if you lend someone twenty dollars and never see them again then it was probably worth it.

Of course, I loaned out much more substantial amounts to bands in the past and mostly managed to chase down outstanding amounts.

If I loan or lend anyone money now, which is rare, I don’t expect to see it again but happy if it does get repaid. This is only because I am now financially secure. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I took this picture because this is the cleanest I have seen my bike since buying it. It was worth the 45 baht expense!

A Time Too Brief – 6th June 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

I’m going to take you to heaven
After I’ve fixed all your faults
It’s the end of the road, Jack
The silent fist assaults
Miseries drowned in buckets
You were saved and risen
A life designed for a moment
All that you were given
To chase the tail of fortune
Or find a place to be
Put down and out of here
A time too brief to see
The struggles of the brothers
All fighting for a teat
Survival of the luckiest
Suckled and complete

Our life is shaped by people on the margins, people who are doing things we don’t know how to do or where to do them.

Jack Weatherford

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for my clean bedroom floor. I took the time to mop it and it has made it look like a liveable bedroom again. Now – for the rest of the house!

The Week That Was – 19th August 1979

The Chiang Rai Alternative Hour #40 – 30th May 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I keep forgetting to post these but here’s #40. I had a lot of fun making this last weekend.

Music from The Wrens, Teenage Fanclub, The Freshies, Y.U.P., 2227, Cleaners From Venus, DJ Pica Pica Pica, Boredoms, Swans, Pigment Vehicle, Renaldo and the Loaf, Jaks, Callers, Bad Religion, Sun City Girls, Thingy, Leaving Trains and Karl Blake.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that I arranged to meet Bruno this morning. It means I don’t have to help clean the house! Not that I mind cleaning the house, it’s just a convenient coincidence.

We got that attitude! – 24th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful to be motivated to help Amy this morning. We did an hour cleaning the terrace and it was fun.

24th Mar 2023 – A disadvantage of having a relatively big house and garden is the time to maintain and clean it. When I moved to Australia and started doing more adult things (!), Bronwyn and I lived first in an apartment before relocating for work to a house with a garden. We thought that would be great – so much space to do with what we wanted. I soon discovered that that space did what it wanted with us.
As we were renting there was no real connection with space that made me what to spend too much time keeping it together.
Even now I would rather pay someone to do our garden work. I wonder how much of a step it would be for me to hire a cleaner for indoors? Somehow I just can’t imagine that unless I was incapacitated. Even considering this kind of thing is a privilege I am thankful for.

You are a human-in-training and that making mistakes and having slips of integrity and mediocre moments are a part of life, not unforgivable sins.

Dan Millman

To-do list

  • Record new TCRAH first thing ✅
  • Sort some CDs
  • Write one lesson ✅

Spent some time actually doing things today. The days go quickly either way. A few weeks ago I was motivating myself with challenges and now I feel, with more time on my hands, less challenged and therefore less motivated.

I like this feeling because I may get less done but what does it really matter? I had less time before because I was working so it was important to allocate time to getting other things done. Work can be rewarding but starting to feel unnecessary. Luckily, I’m in a position financially where it’s not a big issue.

27th Jun 2024 – I don’t know exactly how I was feeling when I wrote this because I feel almost the opposite now. I don’t enjoy not having anything in particular to do. I’m good at filling my time but feel much more motivated when time is limited.

*Madness Of Insanity – 31st December 1984

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I’m not insane
Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho
I’m not bad
Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee
It’s not me brain
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I’m just mad
Ha ho hee ha

The Week That Was 1984 diary

Photo: original import sticker from Black Flag’s Damaged album on Unicorn

31st December 1984
See next diary

Live groups of 1984
Confessions of Sin
Cult Maniax
Subhumans
Self Abuse
Conflict

Live songs of 1984
Self Abuse – Loose
Confessions of Sin – Loose (esp. at Capones)

National Insurance No.
NP 30 09 66 A

Phone numbers
Julie Roberts
Paul Chambers
Andy Anderson
Justin Butler
Simon Bradbury
Dave Brown
Amanda Brown
Jane Seabright
Kathryn Smith
Zoe
Liz Jennison

The Week That Was 1985 diary

Allergies: DEATH

Records of the week: Ruts – Staring at the Rude Boys, Subhumans – Rats
Last song of the year: Cult Maniax – Morphine Mary

31st December 1984
Built a new reception area. Mr. Grainger’s being a cunt but I went at 4. Went to Houldey’s. Dandy and Beki weren’t there
5

1st January 1985
Got up 12. Not much on TV. Not done anything in particular. Cat’s still scared to come in my room.
5

2nd January 1985
Cleaned out the Mezz floor. Fucking knackering day at work. Went to Youth Club. Stayed by myself most of the time. Getting better at darts.
4

3rd January 1985
Cleaned out the Mezz floor. Ringo Chubb are playing on the 11th in Poole. Could’ve fallen asleep at work. Went to Houldey’s. Dandy didn’t seem to notice that I’ve changed for her.
6

4th January 1985
Cleaned out the Mezz floor. Fucking knackered. Moved all shit from Mezz floor. No Youth Club. Went to Muz’s. He’s still being a shit.
5

5th January 1985
Went to town with Mum. Saw Burdett but didn’t say anything to the cunt. He’s still one of the lads. Track’s iced over slightly.
5

6th January 1985
Got up 12.30. Did this and that. Hoovered my room. Went out – no one about.
5