Tag: hard work

Ascension – 15th January 2025

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 6 Comments 
  Dreams fuelled the fire
    Sacrifices made to inspire
       Hard work satisfies desire
        A ladder to heaven
          Ascending to the stars
            Dreams fuelled the fire
          No stone remains unturned
        Sacrifices made to inspire
      A lesson always learned
    Hard work satisfies desire
  Reward is duly earned

Shared with dVerse’s Quadrille challenge – lift

Today I’m feeling:

My new Sleep app alarm didn’t work as expected this morning, so I woke up a few minutes later with my normal alarm and ran behind schedule a little but I forced myself to exercise and I’m glad that I did. I always feel much better after exercise and have to remember that as encouragement.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The two packs of rice crackers that I bought on Monday and ran out of time to eat and were still in my bag today, just when I needed to snack to keep me going.

The best thing about today was:

Doing some one-on-two interviews with my grade 12s really tested them and quite a few students surprised me with their abilities and with their ideas. It was really nice to experience.

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

Kru Tongjai seemed to be in a bad mood today and was annoyed that I was using the small teachers’ room to interview students and encourage them to speak in a safe, quiet environment. She told me that I shouldn’t be there and that I should figure out somewhere else to do it.

Champ had already said that it was ok for me to use the room and later said that he thought it was great that I was doing what I was doing to help the students.

Just another day of confusing messages from the staff around me. Never mind.

I seem to end many of these entries with ‘never mind’. Perhaps that’s good.

Something I learned today?

Teacher David is thinking that it is time to move on for him soon. He’s paranoid that he’s being watched closely by other teachers. I don’t see it myself but he has made me more wary of what might be going on.

Another picture after Sarah stole my phone again. Her and KT.

A Deer With No Eyes – 19th December 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

It was in the trees, in the air
Its meaning was never clear
Both here and over there
Sometimes hidden in fear
It was simple, it was strong
It would never disappear
Sometimes right and other times wrong
Especially after having a beer
Often spoken, sometimes just thought
It influences its sphere
Sometimes learned, sometimes taught
Or born right now and here
Never met a deer with no eyes
They always seem to appear
Born in imagination, in surprise
Boom! – an idea!

The universe is what it is, not what I choose that it should be.

Bertrand Russell

Today I’m feeling:
Content, relaxed
Today I’m grateful for:
The staff at the hospital that administered (paperwork and execution) Amy’s second rabies shot. Hopefully her wounds heal well and there are no repercussions.
The best thing about today was:
Today has been consistent and modestly good, from a bit of exercise, listening to an interesting podcast about the Slits, good coffees, a fun first class, taking Amy to the hospital, then lunch at Oasis, more good coffee, a fun second class, then to the movies to watch the second Avatar movie which, whilst not a great movie was better than I expected.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I had to run around for, and with, Amy a lot today and couldn’t spend my usual time writing and reading at House which I look forward to. Rather than feeling grudgful I tried to savour and did end up enjoying the whole day.
Something I learned today?
I mostly learned this last week whilst listening to Jello Biafra interview Dominic Davi on his Renegade Roundtable podcast, though I finished listening this morning. Dominic had had a stroke fairly recently and described the experience and aftereffects of it. I’d been thinking about it on and off over the weekend especially as I am now in the age demographic more likely to experience this. This morning I was reminded again about the BE FAST acronym. Balance, Eyes, Face and then the other things I forget but I reckon you’d recognise it with those at least. This is all well and good to assist someone else but I’d be worried if it was happening to me and I was by myself or unable to communicate with others around me as Dominic described. He was helped quickly be others recognising the signs. Well, this is useful knowledge at least though I hope it is knowledge that will go unused.
Describe something you learned from your mother.
I’ve written about this before but I think I learned patience, hard work, solitude and don’t-give-a-fuck-what-others-think attitude from my mum.

I took this picture because I gave my students in 1/7 a spelling test and with prep and repetition took about one and a half hours to complete but it was actually a lot of fun and I think the kids even found it a little amusing, some of them doing better than either they or I expected. This is also the only picture I took today!

We got that attitude! – 12th January 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am so happy and grateful to be reminded how lucky my life is now and how much I owe to my mother for all her hard work. I will try not to complain about anything.

I have not managed to achieve much of the 4 goals I had this week though achieved other things instead. Those goals have been on my mind and I have got some ideas but time sort of ran out over the weekend. I didn’t even play much Xbox.

The best thing that happened today was enjoying reading Dostoevsky quietly in the office before I had to teach. After that, I had photocopied documents for my work permit, and then I still had time to go for a blood test and get new photos in the afternoon.

My work environment is very enjoyable at the moment. I’m going to stick with the same goals as last time and hope to start on drawing soon.