Tag: Netflix

All The Arms We Need – 27th March 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 10 Comments

The truth took the wind from me
I’m still not ready to stand
This isn’t the way it was meant to be
It’s not quite how I planned

I cannot face this world today
Please comfort me, I am in need
Give me the power to walk away
To heal me as I bleed

Together in the world we’ve built
And the challenges we are thrown
After all the tears we’ve spilled
We will never walk alone

A second submission to WDYS (picture above) and inspired by events from last night

Today I’m feeling:

Super tired due to waking up a couple of times during the night as Amy was checking on Cap who was very restless and crying often.  

It’s still difficult to see if there is anything specifically wrong but Amy will take him back to the vet to double-check this morning.

Today I’m grateful for:

Finding Amy starting to watch the Netflix version of the Three Body Problem, so I said Hey, let’s watch it together.

I will try to put out of my mind how good the books were and try to judge this on its own merits.

The best thing about today was:

Cap seeming to improve a little after stopping one of the medicines the vet had given him a couple of days ago.  He’s still not eating or drinking much but he seems to be getting better rest and looks to be in less discomfort.

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

I rolled with the things that were working against me and sure enough, by sitting still and doing nothing, the world revolved full circle and back into my favour.

Something I learned today?

I met Kru Ren this morning and discovered that he has been tasked with creating the full curriculum for the integrated English classes next year.  He’s flummoxed!  He knows what a stupidly huge task he has been given and I commiserated with him because it’s pretty crazy to be given just a few weeks (that should be a holiday) to prepare.

It seems that he is also tasked to teach it and he has made the same complaint as myself – we don’t have the knowledge level to teach the sciences and other subjects.

Even things that we do have knowledge of would take much preparation to teach at the grade 7 level.

When I was doing the same in primary it would often take me six hours prep to teach a two hour class!

Good luck Kru Ren!

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

I talked with Kru Lucky about information on scholarships and exchange programs to pass on to Anchan, which I duly did.

To be honest, I’m not very optimistic that she can achieve a full scholarship and I hope that she doesn’t get disheartened.

She did seem to have a couple of backup plans though so it seems she has already thought about this.  

She’s a good kid and deserves better than what her situation is offering her.

I took this picture because as I was waiting for Amy this little chap flew up for a quick inspection and I just managed to get my phone out in time for this shot before darting off to his nest.

Contrarian Outlaws – 12th January 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Who are we gonna stick it to
When we can’t stick it to the man?
We’d rather choose not to be happy
Because we know that’s what we can

When the world is contented
Where can we direct our rage?
There’s got to be something to fight
Some violence in which to engage

We’re not searching for paradise
Because anger is all we’ve known
We’re the contrarian outlaws
Of the world in which we’ve grown

Today I’m feeling:

A little better than yesterday.  My sore throat has abated somewhat though I feel a little blocked in the nose.  I struggled through the third abs exercise for the week but can feel it having some positive effect on posture and general health.

Today I’m grateful for:

No longer being in the UK.  I watched a video today of someone interviewing people around Glastonbury and despite some ‘characters’ there they mostly seemed paranoid or depressed.  And this was whilst they were commenting how much better than the rest of the country Glastonbury was.

The best thing about today was:

Updating some 1994 entries with STE Bulletin writing which brought back some interesting memories or more preciously, reminded me of things which I had since forgotten. 

I was glad of the phone functionality to be able to scan and convert text through the camera as it saved me a ton of time though still filled up most of my four-hour break.

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

Two of my annoying students pushed me too far this morning though I didn’t get particularly angry with them.  I did carry through my threat to take points off them in the SchoolBright system though.  One of them was particularly upset when they found out I wasn’t joking but I have had enough of their continual disrespect and disruptions in the class.

Something I learned today?

I came across an advert for a Netflix series of the Three Body Problem.  I can imagine that it may be a travesty compared to the books and the trailer looked interesting but not quite right.  Checking a little more though I found that there had been a Chinese TV series made that actually followed the books well.  Chinese TV series can also seem a little ’not quite right’ too though.

I then found that the first two episodes are free to watch online so I’ll check those out and see if it’s worth searching for the rest.

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

I tipped the pineapple seller 10 baht which shocked her. She was very grateful and gave me a big smile.

I comforted Nicha who was crying this morning though she wouldn’t say why.  Thankfully, she was happy and dancing by the end of the day.

I took this picture because when I showed Jet the picture that Ploy drew of me she instantly said ‘That’s not you. Wait, I’ll draw you.’ A couple of minutes later she presented me with this!

Communion – 26th May 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

A spark flies on wandering wings
Darting forth on invisible strings
Before coming to rest on the orange soil
Growing here a cluster of limes
By the river flowing since ancient times
And the field the poorest farmers toil

The leaves all fall and flow downstream
Watched by those that wish to dream
Of lands and opportunities far away
What is here and there is just the same
The seas and cities all wax and wane
Only the princes are happy to stay

Keeping butterflies within their cages
Whispered words on parchment pages
Tell legends of a joyful union
Setting fires ablaze, the whole world sings
Another spark flies on wandering wings
Ignites the story of our own communion

Today I’m feeling:

Good and happy. This morning I opted for a 7-minute chest workout because yesterday whilst students were talking to me one of them whispered ‘Teacher nom yai’ and I looked at her and grabbed my chest and gave a stern face and then a sad face, all the while we were all laughing. As my lower back was a bit sore this morning I decided to try and work off some boob fat!

Today I’m grateful for:

Goy and Bae for letting us share their Netflix until now. News is that they won’t be able to share anymore as Netflix is changing the options to only be able to share on the same wifi network. That’s ok for me. I enjoy watching things on there but I already have a whole host of other things I can spend time watching.

The best thing about today was:

Whilst sitting in House, watching a lecture on modern poetry and trying to find inspiration to write something myself, an attractive young couple came in and ordered coffees, and inspiration was found in the young ladies’ soft smooth tan skin, pretty feet and bare waist. So I wrote about temptation, how it can only lead to trouble and that it’s better just to enjoy the view.

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

I had a plan to go to see Matt between my classes today and messaged him as he had asked before leaving school to drive there. I had contemplated cancelling as I’m pretty tired from the first full week of classes but figured it would help keep me going for the rest of the day rather than sitting around for the whole four-hour break between classes. Unfortunately, Matt replied that he was busy caring for his mother-in-law who had broken her ankle. Well, the change of plan was fine. I mean, I don’t need much convincing to sit around drinking coffee in a favourite cafe and doing bits and pieces of reading and writing.

Something I learned today?

Also at House, Gui offered me a new tea that he had in stock. He told me it was a famous Chiang Rai tea though I didn’t quite catch the name and when he presented it to me it was blue, made with butterfly pea flowers. It was sweet tasting without having any sugar added and refreshing with ice. He then offered more but this time with milk and a little syrup and that was delicious. Along with two coffees and two glasses of water, I was well slaked.

Where do I usually find inspiration?

Well, I guess thinking back on today’s poetic inspiration it would appear that pretty ladies are where I usually find it! In general though, I would say inspiration is found in beauty, wherever that may be seen. A river, a rainbow, a flower, a tree. Similarly, it can be found within the dark ugly shadows of desperation too. 

I took this picture about ten days ago and posting it today as I haven’t had much time or inspiration to take pictures these last couple of days.

Hometown Postman – 12th April 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

A town all snowy white and middle-class
The drunks tell stories often repeated
Shufflers trapped in a cul-de-sac torture
All plans for their children defeated

A week in the sun by the sea
Swap cardigans for sunburned backs
Strange behaviours set tongues wagging
Is this the life that everyone lacks?

Enter no more the green and pleasant
Ruined by the hardest-working poor
Facing fists of fury on walking home
All desperately banging on the door

The drizzle drenches the pavements grey
Children too bored to stomp in puddles
Tugged by the leashes of all that glitters
Out of reach of all of these muddles

Excitements distract along the terrace
Dogs fight cats, cat fights dog
A word of wise from the blinders
Submit oneself to pointless slog

13th Apr 2024 – Shared to Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – pointless
10th Oct 2024 – Shared with Word of the Day Challenge – hometown

Today I’m feeling:

A little more positive and upbeat. It’s not time that heals our grief, it’s the forgetting.

Today I’m grateful for:

Sight. My eyesight is suffering a little these days perhaps from the dodgy air, lack of sleep and constant looking at screens. But I can still see. If I had to choose between losing my sight or my hearing I would choose losing sight. I would miss reading but could still listen to audiobooks. I think I would really struggle emotionally if I couldn’t listen to music though.

It still feels like yesterday that, as children, we were all warned about listening to loud music would damage our ears so much that we would go deaf in our old age. And that watching too much TV would lead to early-onset blindness. I had to start wearing glasses when I was around 26 years old and my mum had to wear hearing aids from perhaps her 50s onwards. So I guess I’m doing all right so far.

The best thing about today was:

Brushing Cap and Tig whilst they purred in pleasure. They have been getting more attention from me now Kim is gone. They are still fussy about being touched or picked up but if they are in the right mood it does seem as if they are reciprocating my love.

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

Right now Netflix isn’t working for me. Just as I’d like to settle back and watch some more of the series Dark. It’s not like there is nothing else I can do so this is only a mild annoyance. I’m aware it’s also a very first-world problem too.

Something I learned today?

Apparently, there is a weird law here in Thailand that makes it illegal for politicians to sing and dance on stage during an election. This came to note because someone called out the current Thai PM for doing exactly this recently. The annoying thing about the article discussing this was the fact that there was no indication of why this was a law. Presumably, it made sense at the time it was implemented. It may even make sense now if it was explained. Like any law in Thailand, it is fairly flexible and depends on who broke it as to whether any action would be taken.

What are 3 things that bring me joy?

Nothing is really bringing me joy right now. My positive emotions are not that strong I guess. The emotions of grief and sadness are much easier for me to tap into. I’m bouncing back slowly but it does make me think why can’t I be prone to happiness and joy instead? They are all just emotions.


I took this picture because this is our infamous red sun as it sets behind our blooming frangipani. For most of these days, the smoke is so thick that if the sun can be seen at all it can be stared at directly without a problem. That’s something I’d prefer not to be able to do for the sake of a clear sky.

Fighting Life – 29th March 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

It’s a game of chance
And you’ve got a bad hand
Heading for elimination
Whether to fold or stand?

Fighting for the right
To play one more round
To run across the roof
Or to be under the ground

Today I’m feeling:

Tired, headaches, sore eyes and demotivated. The grey colour of the sky reminds me of the dullness of England. There is beauty everywhere but unseen without a light to shine on it.

Today I’m grateful for:

My rolling massage balls that can pummel my hips while I’m watching TV on the floor. My left hip is particularly sore and needs more movement but with the situation outside I’m staying in as much as possible and avoiding doing anything that requires deep gulps of air.

The best thing about today was:

Haven’t done much of anything today so it must be reading more of Death’s End, the third in the Three Body Problem trilogy. It’s interesting because an alien race is coming and Earth comes together as best it can but is unable to ‘beat’ them. It has parallels with our own historical geopolitics.

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

Right now, I just sat down to watch Netflix and it’s not working. Guess I’ll keep reading then!

Something I learned today?

Lots of geopolitical stuff but I’m getting tired of the whirlwind of information and useless information. I should just check in once a week or once a month instead.

Nothing that has been going on directly impacts me beyond the cost of living rising which is not really something I can control either way.

I’ve saved some money these last two days by not going to work because I’m sick and not eating because of my medicine. If I lose some kilos I hope I can keep them off.

What do I know is true?

I will die one day.

Someone from Utopia took this picture because they were showing how we need super-efficient masks to fight the pollution. I edited the picture and pinched an Australian slogan as a sarcastic commentary.

The Visitor – 6th March 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Our visitor, quiet by our side
So close, so very close
There’s no one else and nothing happens
We share this realm
There’s no ordinary language
Just the feeling of unbounded love
The presence remains
Long after the sun turns golden
The comfort the visitor brings
– Hope to see you again

inspired by (and phrases appropriated from) Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files

Today I’m feeling:

Happy and relaxed.

Today I’m grateful for:

The iron, the ironing board, electricity, TV, Netflix, Sex Education and spare time. All these combined saw me knock off the pile of 20-plus shirts that now hang, reasonably smooth, in my wardrobe.

The best thing about today was:

Shaving off a five-day beard growth with a new razor. I always try to make my razors last well past their supposed use date which is something ridiculous like 15 shaves. But I’m also always relieved when I switch to a new one and can get a clean shave with no rashes or cuts.

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

My main computer has been slowly dying for the last two years and is being particularly troublesome today after not having any issues at all yesterday. I get to the point where I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll have to buy a new one and then it will suddenly start working ok again for a few months. This time might be the end though.

Something I learned today?

I watched a video about the Two Sessions in China. The National People’s Congress and the CPPCC ( I forget exactly what this acronym is now). They meet every year and elect new leaders every five. What was interesting was that they clearly represent a wide range of peoples and groups throughout the whole country.

What is a defining moment of my life?

Moving away from the UK – really the whole impetus for this blog which has now morphed into something else.

Meeting TLJ – the start of a long difficult recovery.

Meeting Amy – the becoming of a truly independent adult and finding deep happiness.

I took this picture because as I was arriving at Utopia this morning the leaves’ symmetry struck me, requesting a photo to be taken.

Although the semester isn’t over and I still have things to do, it already feels like holiday.
Today is another Buddhist holiday too so I’m taking advantage of the free time. I ploughed through the shirts whilst watching Netflix – the semi-watchable but very contrived Sex Education. The best thing about it is the setting in a beautiful part of England that I’ll look up and find because I’d like to go there and check it out for real.
The air quality fucking sucks right now and the mountains are barely visible but I’ve forced myself out again, to sit at Daytripper, read, write and reflect.

The Tallest Tree – 25th February 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

The tallest tree is afraid of lightning
And forever wants to stand tall
To rise above the rest is so frightening
But one must look over them all

Competition begins at the very roots
Fighting for glimpses of the sun
Cooperation only required when it suits
Until the race can be clearly won

The tallest tree, with its deep shade
Stunts both the weak and the good
The forest succumbs to death man-made
And all becomes the finest wood

Today I’m feeling:

Tired and dizzy. Unenthusiastic. I’ve been reducing my sertraline dose to half a 50mg tablet a day and it had been on until today. The feeling is so disorienting that I don’t feel inclined to push through. I’ll go back to my regular dose tomorrow.

Today I’m grateful for:

Netflix and British TV. I’m really not in the mood for anything today and whilst on other days I usually hate to waste time with watching TV shows today I’m finding numbing satisfaction in not thinking. I think I’m gonna be ok.

The best thing about today was:

Cute Noey at Utopia making my coffee and trying her best to improve her skills. We didn’t talk for a long time as she is quiet and maybe intimidated in a work environment of boys. She has a kind of endearing ditzy attitude like she doesn’t take anything too seriously but obviously, deep down has a different personality lying in wait to be discovered by her intimates.

Anyway, the coffee tasted good despite the lack of foam that I like.


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

My feelings and emotions are a little out of control today but I’m well aware of it. I hate to waste a weekend day but know I need to get to the other side of this feeling so I’ve handled it by sleeping and TV.

Something I learned today?

I watched an edited version of a debate with Matt Taibbi, Douglas Murray and Malcolm Gladwell and was quite shocked to hear a usually smart guy like Gladwell resorting to straw man arguments.

The topic was about trust in mainstream media in the USA and I was quite surprised that Gladwell sided with the idea that we can trust it.

I’ve been watching Chinese news (CGTN) to get news from the States. They just report the facts as they know them. No opinion no debate no analysis. Just like news should be. Most of their reports are less than two minutes long.

USA news sources are 24-hour verbal diarrhoea and for all the talk nothing is achieved.

What do I enjoy doing?

Today the only thing I enjoyed was sleeping. Most days I actually enjoy almost everything I do.

I took this picture because I liked the look of this mini cactus at House. It could serve well as a model railway cactus.

Both Worlds Paradox – 15th October 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Beauty fades as knowledge grows
And wisdom comes too late
To understand what the old one knows
As the acceptance of this fate

When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.

Viktor Frankl

Today I’m feeling:
Happy and chilled
Today I’m grateful for:
The lady in the print shop helping me to print out a few things I needed. Some for school but also printouts from my blog which I will send to Hayden.
The best thing about today was:
Finishing reading a couple of books. I love the anticipation of starting a new book, a new journey, new knowledge.
What movies do you need to watch?
This is easy. There are NO movies that I NEED to watch. I have a hard-drive full of movies that I’d like to watch along with many DVDs, Netflix and YouTube. And perhaps, hopefully, one day I will. I may even try it tomorrow, now that it is in my head.

I took this picture because as I was enjoying my walk home this morning I recalled when I did my first exploratory motorbike ride around the village and came down here, where the sign seems to indicate no entry. I sat on my bike undecided whether to go forward or turn back and as I looked around a lady outside the adjacent house called out and waved me through. I soon discovered that everyone used this shortcut and they just didn’t want cars coming through. Today though, I noticed that someone has taken the trouble to re-gravel the track so there are no more puddles and potholes. Wish this had been done before the rainy season.

Writer’s Trick – 25th September 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Far across galaxies, I was taken
Flying towards the story’s end
A misdirection, a writer’s trick
On which the reader may depend

A cliffhanger chapter break
The reader left wanting more
Another leaf is turned
In this new world to explore

Better than a Netflix series
Read a book and chill instead
I wonder who will survive
And who will end up dead?

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for Amy’s friends who all ordered cinnamon buns from her when she posted online about them. She’s going to be busy.

Woke up this morning to Amy screaming ‘help’ and my name. I thought perhaps one of the cats had brought in a snake but it was just Cap and Tigger fighting each other again, clumps of fur scattered all about the kitchen and dining room. I don’t know why they have never gotten along. They tolerate each other but barely.

It wasn’t even 7 am but I got up and forced myself to do my mini workout for which I feel good for, right now. Must remind myself about this feeling each morning.

Both Worlds – 19th July 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

A lazy day with thundery skies
The temperature for Netflix and chill
In between episodes, look out the window
To see the clouds descend the hill
The bang and crash as lightning strikes
I can’t believe my good luck
But suddenly the power goes out
And now it’s Netflix and fuck!
Wait for the rains to stop again
And electricians to earn their pay
So we can get back to our series
And watch until the finale
Weirdly, there’s top-speed internet
Yet intermittent electricity
Nowhere has the best of both worlds
Neither this country nor city

Letts Association Football Diary 1979 – 30th December 1978

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have had a lazy day yesterday – even forgetting to write here. The busy week makes me tired on the weekend and I enjoy being home with the cats, our surrogate dog and crazy Amy.