Tag: honey

Two Goddesses – 17th July 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

So you want to be the hero?
This path is full of toil
The shortcut to vice and pleasure
Is the easiest to spoil
To be equal to the gods
Means Herculean choices
The answer reveals itself
So trust your inner voices

Today I’m feeling:

Tired but also subconsciously energetic. The kind of feeling after tough exercise, you will be happy with rest or with motion. As I wait for my one class at 1.30 I also have to be ready for when I get home, having to go straight out again to take the motorbike for rego inspection. I’m happy to have Amy pushing me along at the moment. Our house is cleaner than ever and smells of bleach!

Today I’m grateful for:

Kru Aomsin to help me find some glue to try to fix Nong Jet’s broken glasses. It didn’t work unfortunately but we gave it a try and Jet appreciated the effort.

The best thing about today was:

I went to take the bike for inspection but they tried to tell me they needed a paper but I couldn’t understand. The only papers I knew were under the bike seat but apparently, it wasn’t those. So I got Amy on the phone and she said she had some papers at home. The shop wasn’t far away so she got in the car and came down with them. 

Whilst I was waiting I could see a price list on the table ranging from 1000 to 3000 baht so was stealing myself to pay this. But in a flash, we had the paper and Amy paid. 

I don’t believe they even looked at the bike. Total cost? 60 baht!

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

In a positive out of control moment I found out that we have another four days holiday starting on the 28th of this month. I reckon with all the holidays here the kids probably only end up studying for eleven years instead of twelve!

Something I learned today?

According to one report I saw today the USA has so much debt now that they have to pay 1 trillion dollars per year just to cover the interest. I don’t understand economics and I don’t understand a system that allows this to happen. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get away with being able to borrow so much money that it can’t conceivably ever be repaid.

What is something meaningful that has happened lately?

Amy being back for a few weeks is meaningful in that it has gotten me out of my very comfortable zone. Comfortable zones are nice but lead to complacency and I don’t want to be that. I will have to make some adjustments and perhaps not have time to do some things I usually enjoy but that is meaningful too as it helps me decide the things that I really value and desire to do.

What is a challenge I overcame and what did I learn from it?

The biggest most recent challenge was to learn to teach English and then to stand in a real classroom full of expectant faces. What I really learned from it is that I can do anything. I can overcome insecurities and fears. Sometimes I have to remember that too, so I’m glad of this reminder.

I took this picture at the weekend because unbeknownst to me we have a bees nest happening above our heads. I asked Amy what will we do about it and she said her parents wanted to wait until it was bigger so that they could get the honey from it! Well, ok!

(It seems they were just here on the way to somewhere else as a week later there was no sign of them ever being here!)

29th June 2024

Friendly Gangsters – 18th February 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

It all started as a lark
Making fun of those deserving
It bites as much as a bark
A record worth preserving

Upsetting difficult targets
Crooks hiding in plain sight
Questioning illegal profits
Someone serving the people right

A freedom of expression
Something democracy holds dear
Suddenly under suppression
For making a crime more clear

Unafraid to twist the knife
Further for all to see
At this risk of his own life
And the right to remain free

A legacy built by crooks
Hiding behind shirts and ties
An ever-constant cooking of books
And truths in fuzzy disguise

Though when money starts tasting sour
A problem must be burned
Friendly gangsters hold the power
That the people want returned

A David and Goliath fight
When many Davids band together
And shank with all their might
To topple corruption forever

Inspired by the firebombing of investigative YouTuber Jordan Shank’s (friendlyjordies) house and the corruption within the New South Wales government.

Today I’m feeling:

Tired, possibly getting sick. After visiting the psych last week we decided to try cutting down on my sertraline. I did that on Wednesday, taking just half a tablet. Then on Thursday I forgot to take it at all and didn’t sleep well that night due to my student being killed.

On Friday, yesterday, I took half again but was so tired I got into bed at around 8pm.

This morning I took half and started to feel dizzy in the morning. I know dizziness is a withdrawal symptom but with the possibility of getting sick too and not being able to relax this weekend, I don’t think I can deal with it back at school on Monday.

Today I’m grateful for:

The lunch provided at the hotel today which was more delicious than expected. Usually, there’s nothing I can eat at these kinds of functions and I would’ve happily gone without food but luckily there were two fish dishes, both of which were spicy. One had a dressing of red onions, lemongrass, ginger and chilli and I hoped it would knock the potential of this sickness out of me.

The best thing about today was:

Learning some new programs and applications that I can use for presentations. Despite only Thai being spoken all day it was simple to follow and interesting enough for me. At points, I was also able to catch up with some online reading as I waited for others to catch up.

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

The main thing out of my control today is tiredness and the feeling of getting sick. I will handle it by going to sleep early again tonight.

Something I learned today?

Scientists have been able to splice genes in certain breeds of mosquitos so that they will become sterile and die out over a period of time. The question being asked now is whether to introduce it into the wild and what possible consequences could arise from it.

Where do I feel most at ease?

Despite smelling of cat pee right now I’m very obviously most at ease in my home. I love it.

I took this picture because I started using honey in my tea as we ran out of sugar. The honey I bought is pretty old and doesn’t quite dissolve properly anymore so this is what I find after leaving my mug in the sink overnight.