Tag: Military Industrial Complex

The Santa Ana Wind – 30th June 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

We need seasons for our sanity
The rhythms of the world turning
Standing still, the river is a lake
The flow of time is the learning

inspired and borrowed from text at the Spinning Visions blog
12th Nov 2024 – Shared with Ragtag Daily Prompt – seasonal

Today I’m feeling:

Thankful for a sleep-in as my afternoon nap yesterday saw me awake into the early hours. Couldn’t force myself to exercise but will try to do something a little later. Can I hold myself to that promise? Is hanging out the washing considered exercise?

Today I’m grateful for:

This free day that saw me pulling weeds, sweeping leaves, hanging out washing and bringing it back in happily, as the morning clouds had left for a sunny afternoon. I kept myself awake with a quick bike ride in search of the wooden buildings I’d once seen down amongst the rice paddies near the airport. The day filled out well.

The best thing about today was:

Rediscovering the music of Cinemachanica, first listening on the stereo, and being convinced they’d never be able to play it live, and then finding several videos of them doing just that. Incredible musicians making music that will only appeal to a very few and I happen to be one of them.

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

Amy’s package that I ordered for her birthday was due to arrive today and all was looking good until Amy called me saying she’d got a message that it was delivered though she hadn’t received anything. The courier sent some photos and it appears it was just left outside the lifts of the building, sitting there for anyone to pick up and take off with. Fortunately, she found it in time but it was a bit of a blot on something that should have been a carefree joyful occasion. These trials test us. We shake our heads and go on our way.

Something I learned today?

I watched an amazing speech by Max Blumenthal to the UN about the war in Ukraine and how it is making America poorer as well as the rest of the world. Piles of Western allies’ tax money has been spent for no reward except for those that profit off the sales and how each of the last government’s chiefs all start buying stocks in weapons manufacturers whilst they’re in power which will start making money via the wars they start during that time. What a game!

What is my favourite memory from the past month?

This is a test. What happened in the last month? Anything out of the ordinary? I’ve learned to savour moments no matter how small but the memory of those moments is insignificant and a blur. Playing guitar, reading, writing, teaching, learning, talking, sleeping. Is it monotonous? It doesn’t feel like it. It feels normal. It feels preferable to highs and lows.
Yesterday, talking with Amy at the end of her birthday night she told me that several people remarked on how happy she is most of the time. It’s her default setting. She got the gene that makes her normal state of happiness higher than most. She’s lucky and grateful for that though a little perplexed because for her it’s just normal. We mere mortals have to try a little harder to occasionally reach a level of happiness that stands out.

I took this picture because I finally found the place I was looking for on my ride. It looks like it may have been a monk’s retreat or resort in the past. All the structures are made from wood so could be pretty old. Places like this get the old brain excited at the thought of what events may have occurred here in history.

When All Else Fails – 1st February 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

There’s a new gun in town
Throwing weight around
Scared of the open gate
When all else fails….escalate!

So diplomacy has failed
The ship of peace has sailed
Not gonna sit around and wait
When all else fails….escalate!

There’s a plan in place for winning
A great reset, a new beginning
The hawks will thrive on hate
When all else fails….escalate!

Today I’m feeling:

Happy and content

Today I’m grateful for:

The small teacher’s room that I’m able to use for my students to come and read, practice and discuss things. The room has, at times, been full of equipment, junk and other teachers. It is now quite clear of things so I’ve taken advantage of its availability.

The best thing about today was:

As mentioned yesterday I was frustrated with one class and had an idea for today which involved using the teacher’s room.

Instead of standing at the front of the class and instructing I started by asking the students to recall things we’d discussed this week on the topics of hobbies and clothes. I then split them into five groups and asked each group to come into the teacher’s room where we first discussed the activities they enjoyed or found boring and secondly to discuss what they thought about school uniforms which they got more animated about.

They used a lot of Thai and I used a couple of the top students to help translate but a few of them were also able to articulate their thoughts in English too. I

t went well for all five groups and I think everyone enjoyed this approach. I only wish it was possible to carry out classes like this all the time.

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

Despite my best efforts to keep food and drinks (except water) out of my classroom students still smuggle them in and left a lot of garbage and spilt drinks today. I handled it by cleaning up a little and thinking about how to make it better in future.

Something I learned today?

I watched a documentary about Paulo Coelho and wondered if I would like him in person or not.

I’ve only read one of his books so far and enjoyed it a lot but I was thinking if this person was explaining similar things in direct conversation then would I react the same way? Maybe I find it difficult to separate the words from the personality in conversation.

I find the spoken word can be overbearing whereas the written I can ruminate on without other influences involved.

I know some people in my life have given me their wisdom in conversation and I initially rejected it because of other things about them.

It’s all a reminder to find my own way and that even the worst of people can offer useful words sometimes. Take it all in and filter out what I don’t need.

What do you love most about yourself?

I’ve recently been looking at my diary from 1981 and see comments like ‘I am great’, ‘I will win’ etc and it reminded me of the positive attitude I had towards myself at that time. That was all well and good but I never learned how to deal with failure properly which was part of my downward spiral in the coming teenage years. I was even conscious of it at the time but didn’t know how to manage it.

Anyway, these days I am more confident again, with occasional lapses, and feel pretty good about myself most of the time. I love that I still have the determination to improve myself and not rest on my laurels.

I took this series of pictures because I was trying to capture the beautiful sunrise this morning as it was happening. It never looks as good in a photo but I wish I could’ve sat and watched it for longer but I had to get to work.

Ideal War – 7th March 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

An ideal war is one where
A third party is found to do your bidding
But the world is wising up
As nations respond with ‘Just who are you kidding?’

The ‘why’ is everything and without it, the very suggestion of human progress becomes a cosmic joke.

David Simon

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to the man who sold me 4-stroke engine oil yesterday so that I could use our grass cutter again.

The Week That Was – 15th April 1979

Naked Cowboys – 4th November 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Two naked cowboys dangling their dicks
Deadset on destruction with their bag of tricks
The smartest of the bunch wandering the hills
Who can piss the highest, counting their kills

Sing it to the mountains
Sing it in the squares
The naked cowboy fucked it all
And pretends he really cares

Inspired by the picture and the American Military-Industrial Complex.
Shared to Word of the Day Challenge – naked

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that yesterday I was able to spend time preparing work in the cafe and get out of school for the afternoon.

A very nice day again. There was a big storm in the morning as I drove to work and traffic was bad around school and as usual, the car park and entrance was flooding, so everyone was stepping carefully.

I clocked in and dropped my things and ‘dashed’ down to House for a couple of coffees. Stuck in traffic, I calmed myself, knowing that I could spend this extra time listening to podcasts. I still had half an hour before class was due to start and the baristas were late to arrive but I was still calm and it gave me extra time to pet Tokyo anyway.

I made it back to school with enough time to spare to collect a speaker I needed for a listening exercise for my first class and got there to happy children, in both my class, and the one next door, where many of the kids know me from teaching them in primary.

Classes all morning were successful and my experiment with 2/9 seems to be OK so far, delegating a little of the responsibilities to group leaders. As they have chosen subjects and given me texts/websites to work with, I now am under pressure to put together lessons and classes in time for them. But I can feel, as I read through, that I have ideas about what they can do and what kind of work I can create for them.

Scoffed some lunch and went off to pick up Bruno. Took him to 22 Grams as he hadn’t been there before and we sat and chatted together as well as with Donut. I savoured my coffees and my time this afternoon and, after dropping Bruno home, had an hour to kill back at school in the teacher’s room, so read a few things and ended up working on 2/9 lessons.

I’ve really enjoyed the day and feel powered by the energy of my students and friends and that can override any negative thoughts I still might have in my head. I can acknowledge them and let them float away. I’m excited enough about all the things I still want to do for myself.

My Terrorist – 16th September 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

You’re my terrorist, siding with our gods
Next week’s enemy, against all the odds
Difficult to believe, though it’s oft-repeated
Cheating the cheaters, so everyone is cheated

You’re my terrorist, you may do my bidding
About those rewards, I was only kidding
You die for nothing, just another’s lies
And in your defeat, I still claim the prize

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the coolness of winter days very slowly returning. Comfortable mornings of fog and misty mountains.

As I’m reading another article about stoicism, gratitude and amor fati, I can feel my brain changing. These words were revelatory for me when I first read them. Now they are comfortable reminders of my acceptance of the way the world is and the way I am. I often think about my mother and wish to hear her talk about things in our lives. I can’t do that except in my mind. That brings me some comfort still.

I miss Kimi even more, in some ways. My mother is/was always a part of my life. Kimi was a kindred spirit I found, like Jochen and Matt, Rich, Steve and Rob and others. Finding some special people in your life is a rewarding experience that provides hope and gratitude to my being.

Amy’s auntie passed away last night. Perhaps some people will feel the same way about her. I hope so.

Our plans (what little we have) will change this weekend but that is out of my control so I can accept it.

I will do what I can to continue living this blessed life in the best way possible. Now, it’s time for class. Let’s see if I can take this positivity and rub it off on some of my students.

Rockets For Profits – 30th August 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Part of the war machine, a forever battle

Promises of hope diverts money into pockets

Death reigns down upon the brown man’s cattle

To whom were sold the rockets for big profits

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have dropped by to visit Nut and Bruno on the weekend. They seem really happy with their lives together.

A pleasant weekend again. Never long enough. I think all the things I enjoy take longer periods of time than when I was younger and that’s why time disappears so fast. I guess sometimes I wish I couldn’t concentrate and focus on things so that I could do many things each day.

Amy and I dropped by Bruno and Nut’s house and we gassed and gossiped for a bit. Bruno was covered in dirt, oil and grease – he’s always busy with something on his land. They have some Burmese workers laying foundations on the piece of land they own opposite their house but despite being cheap labour they’re also understanding that the quality is low too.

It’s tough here to decide whether to pay some people extra for better work when most people still just employ cheap labourers anyway. Even the pretty new estate houses look shabby if you look closely. They tried to hide it with fancy furniture and carpet.

I’m so happy Amy designed and oversaw the building of our house. If there is anyone to blame, then it is mostly us.