Tag: DuoCards

The Feral – 26th December 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Raised in the manner of wolves
Howling at the moon
Running wild in the company of fools
Wide-eyed in chaotic tune

Tamed and reformed by riches
The devil still pulls at the heart
All are affected by witches
The feral rips itself apart

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good from exercise but still not particularly enthusiastic.  Perhaps due to this month’s struggle with money and its limit on what I’m able to do.

(Later) Things did improve as I spent time at House and then back at school wandering around talking to students everywhere.

Today I’m grateful for:

Kru Ning who seemed happy enough for me to help assist some of the students in her class – my grade 7 kids.  It’s sometimes fun to join another class without there being any pressure and just offer assistance.

The best thing about today was:

Kwang (and Premier and Program) took my arms and led me around the school whilst chattering away with me, so I feel happy that Kwang is comfortable with me again after her episode last week.  I’d really like to talk more deeply with her and get to how she really feels about things.  She’s still covering things up with bravado at the moment, which is not unusual for kids at this age.

Something I learned today?

I watched Alexei Sayle’s Christmas message where, as a Jew, he supports the Palestinians and calls out the Zionists in Israel as absolute liars. Much of the world is in agreement with his sentiment.

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

My students were happy that I cancelled all my classes today.  It was possible that we could still have them but they would be distracted and unfocused with many not even bothering to show up.  I feel slightly guilty though!  Though not guilty enough not to be sitting in the cafe writing this right now!  I will go back to school soon though and play with my students and hang around for an hour or three.

What was the best new thing I tried this year?

Best new thing? I’m not sure I tried any new thing!

Maybe I started using the DuoCards app this year which has been pretty helpful with my language learning.

Fuck, that’s not very exciting, is it!

If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

As I’m already past the age of 30 and I can remember what my body was like then perhaps having that body would not be for the best.  I was still skinny at thirty, the beer belly came on over the following ten years.  As to my mind at thirty, I was still on my way at that point.  I still had peaks and troughs that overly affected me.

If we could rephrase the question to be 60 instead of 30 then perhaps I would choose my body now, despite it being older and slower it feels like it has improved and is fitter than before.  My mind is also in a better place….  Damn, this is a difficult choice.  The two are inextricably linked – healthy body, healthy mind….  I think I will go with maintaining the body. 

I’m thinking this because of seeing Grandmum now whose body is almost given up and unable to speak but I can’t help thinking that inside her mind is still sharp and that must be so frustrating.

I took this picture because Nicha wanted a selfie. When I showed her later she said she looked like a pig. At least I hope she was talking about herself.

The Cup Spiders – 5th September 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

A cracked cup
Chipped and faded
Sits dusty behind antique glass
A spectator to many stories
Left untold

Holding congratulations aloft
Cheers to that day
Or sombre with lukewarm water
The passing of time

The spiders came
With their own tales
Making a new home
Hiding in wait
But nothing comes
All the times have died

The heat, the air
The insects and the weeds
A cup returns to earth
Still cracked, still broken
Yet still a cup

Today I’m feeling:

Strong and healthy. But also getting a little positive anxiety to start planning for next semester. It’s positive because I will use that as motivation. At the start of my exercise routine this morning I felt like I would want to fall back into bed by the end of it but I was suitably energised to get myself going. I can feel some of the exercises getting a little easier but push-ups kill me.

Today I’m grateful for:

The DuoCards app that is helping me improve my Thai learning quicker than other apps I use. I’m considering buying the subscription so that I can practice for longer. I currently use 4 free apps which are all time limited. DuoCards is a spaced repetition flashcard system similar to Anki.

The best thing about today was:

Getting a nice message from Earn after I sent her some positive reinforcement in an effort to help her combat her shyness when talking to a boy she likes. She wrote ‘i luv u t.shaun’ which comes as a big surprise as she was very rebellious and grumpy with me for a lot of the time last year. 

Also today, Fah tried to sneak away from my class this afternoon and I just happened to see her and call her back and she was a little upset and impatient at the time. I messaged her later and she is smart enough to understand that she shouldn’t have done that.

When some of my students call me ‘father’ in a loving way I sometimes think that perhaps now I am suitable and knowledgeable enough to actually be a father. But that time has come and gone. It also helps that I don’t need to see ‘my children’ for more than a couple of hours at a time!

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

For the second time, someone stole my cooling powder from the small teacher’s room where I keep my things at work. I have to remember to see if I can find keys for the lockers in one of the classrooms tomorrow.

Something I learned today?

In a speech directed at the USA Xi Jinping commented on their behaviour with a Chinese idiom along the lines of ‘blowing out everyone else’s light won’t give more light to you’. I liked that as it seems appropriate.

What is one good thing I can do for myself?

Keep going.


I took this screenshot because I thought I could use it from time to time to send to students when they are feeling a little down. I’ve been collecting other similar inspirational quotes for them since too. No new pictures today.

Hey Coach – 20th May 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Everyone’s a life coach these days
Selling dopamine for the bucks
Hiding behind their plastic smiles
Of a thousand nips and tucks

No one is living by their words
But knows the right things to say
Stuck forever in the idea of living
Instead of just living that way

Today I’m feeling:

A little weak and tired from lack of sleep but I got a little motivation after talking with Amy. Sometimes I just need a kick-along and be given a task or a deadline. She’s very good at giving me tasks. I’ve gotten very lazy since she’s been overseas.

Today I’m grateful for:

Inspiration found in different places. Sometimes I struggle to find things to write a poem about but if I’m noticing enough and paying attention to the small things then ideas can be transformed into words in my head and then to paper.

The best thing about today was:

Feeling satisfied with just instant noodles, a little chopped onion and an egg for lunch. Some days it’s enough.

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

Amy inspired me to take a look at the back door and try and make it usable again and I soon realized I’d need the electric drill to get out the screws her dad had put in. I found it again and was reminded of the fact that our drill is useless. It works for two seconds and then stops and will maybe start again with a jiggle of the battery or fully removing it and slamming back in again.
I remembered that this seemed to be the case even after charging the batteries up but I had no choice and will have to try again tomorrow in the hope the batteries are improved after an overnight charge.
It’s frustrating because I remember when we first moved here that Amy didn’t trust me to buy a drill and said her dad knew more about these things. I didn’t want a cordless drill figuring we have power outlets all over the place. The drill we ended up with is a pain in the ass and I was getting so frustrated with it this evening that I almost threw it in the field and wanted to drive to the store to get a decent drill instead.
Hopefully, I can have the door sorted tomorrow.

Something I learned today?

I learned a bit more Thai after downloading a new app DuoCards. I’ll try and keep some momentum going with studying again.

How did this past week go?

This week has been pleasant. I could go to school and hang out with my students again and come home and chill for most of each day. My new timetable only has me teaching for one hour on Mondays so it’s almost like a three-day weekend

Last night Amy took this picture because she is staying at her boss’s house to take care of this ball of fur. He’s like a massive dog version of Cap! Amy is still a little wary of dogs after Tokyo bit her and this pooch is bigger than her but he seems quite gentle and soft.