Tag: gratitude journal

We got that attitude! – 12th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful that I still have teeth, even though they hurt a lot of the time.

12th Mar 2023 – I haven’t been back to the dentist for over a year now. I still have a little pain but it’s not enough to make me go back for a fix. I wonder if I go to a dentist back in Australia what they are likely to say about the quality of work I’ve had done over the last few years here in Thailand. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t wish to afford the upgrade though.

Inner peace is the break between two thoughts. The moment of calm before the mind invades our serenity with another thought.

To-do list

  • Record TCRAH in the morning ✅
  • Just Dance ✅
  • Meditate to more Inner Eng. ½
  • Drink more water ½
  • Revise the WOOT video

Busy and fulfilling day today. I feel positive and energised. Tomorrow I hope to continue.

We got that attitude! – 11th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful for being able to entertain myself at home.

Peace is the break between two wars.

Krishnamurti

To-do list

  • Just Dance ✅
  • Meditate ½
  • Sort CDs ½
  • Finish grading files ✅
  • Read a lot of Midnight’s Children ½

Dancing got us revved up this morning and I set to finishing marking all the exams and completing the files at around 5 pm. I remained calm even whilst trying to navigate the nonsense that gets sent out to us teachers. I even realised that marking the exams doesn’t really mean anything. It’s a strange system that sets the teacher to write the exam because it can’t be compared with anything. There needs to be a standard exam and defined curriculum to work with – it’s a huge waste of time for teachers year after year after year. But, whatever – I did it – it’s done (at least until someone tells me I have to do more).

Whilst marking the exams I think they were quite well done in that (with only a few exceptions) they accurately reflected the standard of the students. Someone will look at the results and will get upset because the scores are so low. They could say that the teacher is no good, to which can countered with, then why let the teacher write the exam?

I can see Ray, who taught these kids last semester, was very lenient with his marks and that’s fine – no one has the same standard. The three days I’ve spent filling in grades will be looked over and modified so that no one fails so that all entries can just be filled with random numbers and, indeed, that is what many teachers do.

I’m aware that someone will likely say something to me about my grading and I will have to control myself and try to be as diplomatic as possible. I don’t know how well I can handle that.

I’m always surprised at the things people come up with when they have different ideas about how things should be done.

We got that attitude! – 10th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful to my students this semester. They made me laugh despite driving me so crazy!

Now, you’re in this argument. In the middle of it, take a deep breath and ask yourself ‘What do I want right now?’ My hunch is the answer is NOT ‘I want to argue!’

To-do list

  • Just Dance
  • Mark exams and complete grading ½
  • Record TCRAH
  • Meditate (Inner Engineering)
  • Sort more CDs (about halfway done now!)

I ate a lot of blue cheese yesterday and it woke me up during the night with bad diarrhoea so I ended up sleeping almost until midday.

After lunch, I started marking exams and it was around 7 pm by the time I finished so didn’t get many of the things done that I wanted. However, I feel like I still achieved things and completed tasks that had to be done.

I enjoyed marking the exam and thinking about all those different personalities in my class. It really sucks that the system has let the students down but it is what it is. I have to figure out a way to find myself happy within it.

I thought today that I can’t change the world – the ideal of youth – so I can only change myself.

Tomorrow, I hope to dance!

Tune for the wind god – 9th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have a lot of free time and not feel under pressure.

“How do I know that the wind should blow? It’s blowing!” She adds “I realised that it’s insane to oppose it. When I argue with reality, I lose – but only 100% of the time.”

Byron Katie

To-do list

  • Just Dance ✅
  • Again, yes again – think before writing and speaking ✅
  • Start grading if you can ✅
  • Meditate (Inner Engineering) ✅
  • Sort more CDs ✅

Watched the first Swans game of the year (not sure we’ll be in any contention this year – we have good players but not a good team for some reason) and taught Ellen, so the day has flown by.

Feeling good and positive again – maybe because I’ve been laughing at myself playing Just Dance in the morning. Going to do it again tomorrow.

12 Jun 2024 – The Swans finished 16th out of 18 this year. One of the only years they have not played finals in the last couple of decades. It was a time of rebuilding and if memory serves me correctly they made the Grand Final a couple of years later.

We got that attitude! – 8th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful to have so many options available to keep me entertained.

What we believe means nothing. How we act is what it’s all about.

Eckhart Tolle

To-do list

  • Just Dance in the morning ✅
  • More CD sorting
  • Record another TCRAH ✅
  • Meditate ✅
  • Think before writing and speaking ✅

Well, doing Just Dance in the morning definitely had a positive effect, made Amy laugh and gave us some exercise. It was a good start to the day. We’ll do it again tomorrow.

I spent most of the day in my room whilst Amy was happily drinking inside – she got the dancing mood later in the evening but then got a little teary as she was thinking about our cats, 2 of whom are approaching the end of their lives. We really love them and it will be sad when they go. But we can go at any time.

I’m feeling more in control of my emotions currently, perhaps because I’m not surrounded by the gossip and chatter at school. It’s very tempting just to quit doing it but I feel I should just keep pushing myself and improve myself. I can’t keep making the same mistakes and expect things to change.

We got that attitude! – 6th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Kim Chi playing with her new collars.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for my cats because they bring joy to our lives.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they never sit in.

Greek proverb

To-do list

  • Call Hayden ½
  • Meditate for 30 mins
  • Record another TCRAH (two if possible!) ✅
  • Finish 1994ever entry and schedule ✅
  • Follow up with Benjii about CDs

A lazy day watching movies, eating and drinking. I feel very happy and satisfied yet a little empty.

We got that attitude! – 5th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful for my lounge where I can lay and read or listen to music or even sleep.

How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?

Marcus Aurelius

To-do list

  • Stretch and exercise when you wake ½
  • Meditate before looking at the computer ✅
  • More CD sorting ✅
  • Clear emails ✅
  • Figure out script for files ✅

Quite happy with today. Spent a lot of the day reading Lu Xun’s ‘Medicine’ for a Chinese student studying about translations. It was interesting and put me in a good mood. Helped by figuring out the script I wanted on my computer.

Almost at the end of the first week at home. I would like to and ride around a bit but it doesn’t matter too much. When I’m away from school I start to feel more like myself again. Still practising, still improving.

We got that attitude! – 4th March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful to be surrounded by all this music. It’s a wonderful collection of my life.

Remember: what gets attention is not always important. And what is important rarely gets attention.

Mark Manson

To-do list

  • Record new TCRAH ✅
  • Clear emails
  • Read more entries for 1994ever
  • More CD organising (complete in 2 weeks?) ✅
  • Complete Coursera course ½

Another lazy yet satisfying day. Tomorrow I want to do some kind of exercise and meditation in the morning. Being at home, unable to go anywhere is an interesting challenge. I feel like this is a great opportunity to get some things done but also that none of it really matters if it does get done or not so there’s no real pressure. I know that if I do a little each day then tasks will get completed.

Which one are you today? – 3rd March 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Picture of some flying insect building its home on one of our trees. Not for long!

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for this time to enjoy my life. I can sit in my room in silence and feel content.

Idleness can be useful; it allows us the space to explore and soothe our troubled soul.

School of Life

To-do list

  • Record and upload TCRAH ½
  • Close tabs on Chrome ½
  • Read and write (writing is awkward) ½
  • Don’t start anything new ✅
  • More CD organising ✅

Lazy day. I did a bunch of preparation and bits and pieces. I could quite happily stay at home all the time. What do I really need to be doing? Tomorrow will be the same so I’m glad of that.

5th June 2024 – Whilst I’m still happy at home, the long periods of time spent at home after this point due to COVID-19 definitely made me reevaluate this thought!