Tag: RDP

Three Nights – 15th June 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

It can’t come quick enough
I’m made of impatient stuff
It was 24 hours of tough
Yesterday

Arrived without knowing
Reality rapidly going
It’s a wild wind blowing
Today

Next up, what’s in store?
Is it worth waiting for?
I can’t wait to explore
Tomorrow

Submitted to Ovi Challenge – tomorrow and Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Impatience. Title borrowed from Black Flag.
27th Nov 2024 – Shared with Ragtag Daily Prompt – patience

Today I’m feeling:

Tired but awake with a headache. My sleep was much disturbed by aches in my shoulders and arms due to my exercise this week, so I skipped it this morning.

I have a few things to do today connected with the SpeechOdd Malay tour and the Minnesota release and hopefully will play some guitar too. I didn’t make it to my room often last week.

Today I’m grateful for:

My village and the folks therein.

The best thing about today was:

Being able to keep going after a filling lunch and resisting the temptation to lay down.  Before that, I had already gone to Sinthanee and got a new battery for the bike and picked up the fish at Betagro for Amy to cook for lunch.  My two morning coffees seemed to keep the lights on in my body after waking up tired but not sleepy.

Lunch could have finished me off, though.  My eyes were feeling heavy as my body was breaking down the fish and rice.  I drank a bottle of soda and knew it was a bad idea to lie down with all that bubbling around inside me so decided to walk around the garden and on seeing our dirty car I decided that I could take it to the garage to be cleaned as we will drive to meet Mei and Hagen at Singha Park tomorrow for lunch.

Also, I thought it might be a funny catalyst for some rain as it hasn’t rained in the four days since we got the gutter replaced, so we still don’t know how effective it is.

On the way to PTT, where I normally get the car cleaned, I dropped into Utopia and asked if they knew a local shop that could fix the puncture on my car, and they told me that Art recommended the shop right next to the PTT.  Easy.  And I picked up another coffee, too!

At the PTT, they couldn’t clean my car immediately as there was a truck delivering fuel, and they said they could only do it after that had finished.  No problem, I’ll go and get the puncture repaired.

In the shop the guy there got straight to it and within about ten minutes had fixed everything and delivered me a screw that had caused the problem.  And only cost 150 baht.  The fish this morning was more expensive!

As it was so quick, I went back down to the car cleaning place next door to Sinthanee, and they said it would be about an hour as they had a couple of cars in already.  No problem. I could go across the road and talk with Baipad for a bit.

At Baipad’s, her mum was finishing off a customer’s hair, and NamHom was playing an online game and talking with the other player, her friend, on her mobile phone.  Kids these days!  So lucky.  Her mum kept telling her to go and get Baipad from upstairs, but she was too engrossed, so I watched her playing and scoffed when she failed at the quest she was trying to complete, which, to my surprise, she was completely unbothered by; she just kept starting again without complaint.  I would have thrown the phone down in frustration many times if that had been me when I was younger!  So, I’m not sure how I feel about that.  Is she not frustrated due to resilience or to a lack of emotion?

Anyway, the customer left, and mum forced NamHom to go up and get Baipad, and I asked her mum if it was her car outside and if she would like me to teach Baipad all the things inside, without actually driving anywhere.  She said that that was fine but that Baipad was probably too scared to drive anyway and shook her head.  I think she would like Baipad to step up a little bit with taking action.

And so talking of which, NamHom came back downstairs and started playing again, saying that she knocked on the door and told Baipad to come down.  20 minutes later, and no appearance.  Her mum said that she was probably playing on her phone all last night and was still sleeping now and had locked her door.

She sighed, I sighed, but whatever.  I walked up to Lotus and got some Curcumin drinks and went back to the car wash and sat in their waiting room from where I called and chatted with Hayden for a while.

Once the car was done, outside, inside, underneath and another 250 baht gone I felt pretty lively and inspired to keep going so, once home, got into my room and sent off a message to Unite Asia about the Speech Odd tour, wrote to Johnny in HK about the Bennu 12”s and whether he’d be interested in the Minnesota Pocket Circuit release.  I also set up a Facebook event page for the Speech Odd tour and started to feel like I was really getting connected back in with things.

I was tired and dizzy but inspired again.  I practiced guitar for a little while and then played along to a couple of songs until my amp cut out from playing too loud.  Time to go back inside and relax.

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

I was unfazed about things today, even Amy telling me to do this and do that, I looked at her with a fun mocking face.

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I told the puncture repair guy that Art at Utopia had recommended him so that they both got some recognition within our community.

Day 8 and eyes open

Flesh – 26th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 8 Comments

Far into the future food will be hard to find
But will have evolved with an ever-greater mind
Time travel will be normal but only to the past
Once the first one comes, it’s sure not to be the last

Back all those million years, so much free-roaming meat
Bring it back to the future for everyone to eat
But our future selves became so filled with greed
Making the same mistakes, taking more than they need

So supplies were running out, there was only so much flesh
Standards demanding that everything must be fresh
Man still not smart enough to know it’s all interlinked
And so that’s how the story goes, the dinosaurs became extinct

Submitted to Reena’s Xploration Challenge #332 and inspired by the 2000AD story ‘Flesh’
26th Sep 2024 – Submitted to Ragtag Daily Prompt – dinosaur

Today I’m feeling:

Still tired and a little slow.  The weekends with no stress or early morning commitments means a big wind down.  So, it’s been a little bit of a quiet day.

Today I’m grateful for:

The workers working on the road.  As the rains have gotten heavier the way out from our house to the road has completely muddied up (even a big truck got stuck out there this morning).  Amy asked them to fix it for us and they did.  I haven’t seen it yet but will find out in the morning.

The best thing about today was:

Playing guitar and feeling like enjoying it again.  It’s been a struggle for the last few weeks but today felt good and spent nearly an hour playing traditional songs in Yousician and then another 30 minutes smashing out punk tunes in Capo.  I’m still terrible but today it doesn’t bother me.

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

Amy is a little short with me because I took her cookies to Utopia and to Baipad this morning and I think she’s thinking that I care too much about other people and/or that I don’t like her cookies and so giving them away.

I’m trying just to be normal and carry on and Amy is also busy with her student’s assignments.

I love Amy more than anything but also need to think of ways to keep showing her that.

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

I wasn’t going to do much of anything today but after I got home from coffee I was surprised to get a message from Baipad asking if I could take her and her sister to Big C as they wanted to go see a movie.

I asked her if her mum was ok with it and if she was then I could take her.  She said her mum was ok (but I’m not certain that she was!) and so I went to pick them up.  It was there that they told me that their mum was in Bangkok!

Well, I put my trust in Baipad and dropped them off and hoped for the best.

Later in the afternoon, she said that they got back home (by Grab I guess) and everything was fine.

I got sent this picture because it seems Little Art and Noey enjoyed Amy’s cookies.

In Search Of Dry Land – 22nd May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

A song sung of departure towards a journey of woe
Giant squid squirt inky dark blinded to the flow
No fuel until Friday, at least the captain is saying so
A panorama of the horizon begs which way to go
Neglected were the whispers, part of the ocean’s show
Set light to the sails, watch the flames aglow
From officer to pilot, knowing what’s to know
Clouds clot to bring the storm and finally the blow
Graduating to the ground to see the mountains grow

A multi-prompt catch-up poem. Departure – Squid – Fuel – Panorama – Neglected – Flame – Officer – Clot – Graduate

Today I’m feeling:

Feeling tired and tense.  After finally getting up, the two Utopia coffees kicked started my brain but not my body!  Hence the feeling of tension.

Amy is wound up about the useless builder that has ripped us off for the guttering.  I’m trying to divert her focus but she’s out for blood, and obviously frustrated.

It’s annoying for sure, though I blame myself.  I got the feeling he was useless almost immediately but didn’t go with my instinct.

It’s been an average day that hasn’t seen me brighten up particularly and at only 8.15 pm I’m going to bed!

Today I’m grateful for:

The AI assistant in Quizizz that can quickly put together questions based on a text.  It’s very useful to speed up putting new lessons together.

The best thing about today was:

Writing, and enjoying writing, a new lesson for my new HAP grade 12 class.  It also inspired me to come up with more ideas that I will try to turn into more lessons.

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

After dropping Amy at Cafe No Name for P’Berm’s birthday celebration I picked up some watermelon for Baipad and popcorn for her sister NamHom for her birthday.

I took this picture because Piti was chilling at the coffee machine.

Dodging A Bullet – 15th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Never not the same, always
The same, the stubborn stays
Beating chests, off with the shirt!
Myself may be all I hurt

A little bit unusual, quirks
Quietly, and in the corner lurks
Watching, loving the success
At being the worst, being the best

A screw-up, never succeeded
At joining in, as normal receded
Into the dark, I remained on my feet
Offbeat, walking my own street

Submitted to Ragtag Daily Prompt – Offbeat (hence making the phrasing a little off!) and inspired by another entry there from A.M. Moscoso

Today I’m feeling:

A bit better again today, maybe at 85%.  Struggled getting to sleep last night, maybe because I had slept so much the day before, thinking about classes and students and how things slowly change.  I miss all my students in one way or another.

Today I’m grateful for:

Firstly, to the uni students at the PTT station who tried to help me put air in my bike tyres.  Unfortunately, I think I fucked the tube by riding it there in the first place so nothing worked for it.

Secondly, to dependable 100-year-old uncle who replaced the tube for me, jabbering away at me about things, indicating that the tyre on the bike is too small.  I didn’t want to remind him that it was him that put it on there!  He also said that he could replace the starter battery but I told that that would have to wait until next month when I have more money.

Talking of which, the SpeechOdd/High Voltage records are due to be sent to me from the factory in Taiwan and I’m hoping not to get hit with too much customs tax.  I also still have to pay for the cover printing too.

The best thing about today was:

There was a very good atmosphere around the school today for the last day before cracking down to studies.  

Even though I could’ve gone home at 9 am I went to the cafe until midday doing some writing and lessons and then went back to school where I was greeted by students everywhere I went, I guess as I know many different students from grades 8 to 12 now.

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

It was an ominous sign when arriving home to see two trucks from our internet provider out on the road and sure enough, there’s been no internet at home again since the afternoon.  

Time to read or catch up on other things instead.

Something I learned today?

A jiffy is an actual unit of time, defined as 1/100th of a second.

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

I met Fui by chance at House this morning and he told me about a school in Bangkok that his son passed the exam to enter so I got the details and passed them onto Anchan.  She would have lots of hurdles to face to pursue this option but at least she can be armed with information.

I complimented Kru Mai on his outrageous shirt today!

What emotions do I feel when I think about my future?

At the moment I feel pretty calm even though the future is uncertain about which direction it may go.  I’m calm because I think I can deal with it whatever happens.

These days I get more stressed and disconsolate when I think about the futures for my students.  I was thinking about this when I was talking to Fui today in connection with Anchan.  A smart kid who knows that she needs to get out from where she is to improve her future but can’t afford to.

When you are struggling to afford new uniforms or lunch day to day, you can’t even consider going to Bangkok to take a free entrance exam for a better school (and think about even cheap fees and cheap accommodation – anything above 0 baht is out of reach.)


I took this screenshot from a video because iPhone called me over to be in the background of her video that she posted on Instagram. She didn’t let me down gently when she said that I won’t become famous!

Something I Don’t Know – 11th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I am a rational being
Though telling me I am able to control my emotions
Does not help me to control my emotions
Tell me something I don’t know

I am a rational being
Though you lead by example in the things that you do
Understand that I am not you
Tell me something I don’t know!

Submitted to RagTag Daily Prompt – Rational

Today I’m feeling:

A little tired this morning.

Tigger woke me up at 6am, he doesn’t understand weekends, telling me he will die if he doesn’t eat, so I wearily poured out some dried food, much to Cap’s disgust, fell back into bed and,  resetting my 7.30 alarm for 8.30 dived deep into a sexy, though not sexual, dream about Nong Fah!

When my alarm went off I forced myself up and now I’m at Utopia and struggling to focus my eyes properly on my book.

Today I’m grateful for:

A change of plans.  Today I was supposed to drive us all up to Doi Chang and here and there and all around but Mai’s family are all tired and/or sick with dodgy stomachs and even the backup plan of going to the Black House got cancelled and in the end everyone just came to our house and chilled in the air con.

The best thing about today was:

A whole load of mala sticks for dinner at a Chinese shop and even though I could’ve skipped dinner completely I ended up with a stack of vegetables and dug into the super spicy Sichuan sticks whilst sipping some soothing milk tea.  I’m not sure yet how my stomach is going to react overnight.

Something I learned today?

As we don’t have internet in the house I am perusing my hard drive full of TV shows and movies and watching some of Paul Merton’s travel series around Europe.  It’s maybe 20 or even 30 years old already but at that time there was a group of Germans who dressed a little to look like Nazis and carried flags with the same colours as the swastika symbol but with an apple shape instead. They would go outside known Nazi gathering spots in Berlin and chant things like ‘Drink more apple juice’ in a fun attempt to humiliate them.

Did you do something difficult or challenging today?

I happily drove Mai and family around this morning and afternoon, trying to keep Yaya occupied and happy.

Someone took this picture in Utopia and they used it on Facebook. I’m happy with my hair in this picture.

Plucky – 7th May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

Pray tell me, where it is you go
Lady of this loveless moon
Underneath the stars on show
Could it be considered too soon?
Kisses taken nice and slow
Youthful daring saw this romance bloom

Submitted to RDP – Plucky

Today I’m feeling:

Exhausted (at the end of the day).  I got through the morning exercise easily, hurting my legs further after two 10,000-step days.

I kept running ok throughout the day but once home in the afternoon, I flaked pretty quickly.

Today I’m grateful for:

Kru Keng and Kru Bright, who provided me with a table to store my stuff in their room in the new building, where I will generally be teaching now.

The building is a little removed from the rest of the school but if I keep parking out by the cafe it means I will have to walk through the canteen and the main playground so I will be sure to still meet many of my students.

The best thing about today was:

Meeting the new teacher in Primary. He’s an Aussie ‘activist’, obviously a weed smoker and hinted at being a conspiracy theorist.  He was quite interesting to talk to for a while as he had been in China around the same time I was there and knew some of the bands.

He mentioned how much he was looking forward to teaching here but I got the feeling from his personality that he won’t last long.

12th Dec 2024 – I found out later that he didn’t even make it a full week!

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

Back to school, back to disorganisation.  There was a message about the Songkran blessing with the school directors and I was told it would start at nine, so I got back from coffee at that time but then the word was that it would be somewhere between 10 and 11.

I contemplated going back to the cafe but instead decided to check out where I could put my things in the new building and after moving my things, the teachers there told me it was just about to start.

No sign of George or David (though I had heard he was spotted there in the morning) so I was the only representative of the high school English teachers.  Hopefully, someone has noted that somewhere that I have been a good boy!

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

A customer at House left their charger in the wall and I alerted Ying, the latest new staff there, who ran out and gave it back.

I also dropped the word search book around to Baipad this afternoon.

After I closed the gate this evening, Amy ran out asking me to take her to the twenty-baht shop to buy a gift for Yaya, Nong Mai’s daughter, who we will meet tomorrow.  A minor annoyance but at least the 200 metre ride to the shop was nice, cool and refreshing!

Did you do something difficult or challenging today?

Back in long pants and long sleeves, I was heating up quickly and easily today.  I didn’t complain though and just got on with everything.

I should have been doing more lesson plans but ended up writing more poetry and updating the blog.  I did scan over what I still need to update and tomorrow, I will work on the next couple of IELTS lessons and Thursday, more of the presentation lessons and then Friday figuring out what else I need to add.  I just put the seed in my mind for today.

My old student from grade 7, Yaya, sent me this picture because I asked her to. I usually send her a message once a year to see how she is doing since she moved away. She was another smart kid and I’m happy to see her doing well. She appreciates my asking after her too.

The Ferns – 1st May 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 11 Comments

Fast approaches the fire
Flourish on the ferns
Unholy smokes
Tinder lit touchpaper
Quickly burns
Quietly chokes

The growing distant haze
Across mountain tops
In the line of fire
Cross valley hops
Night skies ablaze
Ash rain falls
Consumed, stops
New ferns grown again

Submitted to dVerse – Quadrille – blaze, Ragtag Daily Prompt – approach and FOWC – flourish.

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good again. 

An early start today as we go through the 100-day ritual for Grandmum at the temple. Amy’s mum is stressed and stressing everyone else with preparations. 

I can ignore the words as I don’t understand them, though I can pick up the feeling from Amy’s facial expressions. She is trying to cope with humour though I think that she will be happy when the day is over.

Today I’m grateful for:

The family-connected monk who took care of all the rituals that needed to be done for the events today.  I only knew that we were going to Chiang Saen to put Grandmum’s bones into the MaeKhong but I didn’t know that he was also part of it, and so I was a little surprised to see him getting out of a car there.  It did, however, put me at some ease for some reason.

The best thing about today was:

Whilst watering and looking around the garden I found a little black and white cat curled up in our garage.  He was chatty and friendly though we’d never met before.

He looked in reasonable health and I picked him up and put him on the wall and he went off somewhere after that. Hopefully he is not in need of a home.

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

At the temple everything was out of my control so as usual I just went with the flow.  That’s the best way to handle it.

Something I learned today?

Whilst in the boat on the river we could see lots of things going on on the Laos side and where some of the river bed was exposed some shade was set up and kids were playing and swimming to cool down.

The boat driver told us that the shade was actually set up because they were excavating more as they had recently found 200 Buddha statues there.

I was a little sceptical as all we could see was folks enjoying the water whilst a hidden humongous PA was pumping out Songkran-style Luk Krung that was clearly heard and enjoyed on the Thai side of the river too.

Also, today is the end of the fire ban. We’re now expecting the air quality to get even worse and there’s no sign of rain yet.

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

I drove Amy and myself to the temple and let myself be bossed around as usual, though things were so typically unorganised that if I sat still for long enough then whatever I had been asked to do had been forgotten or someone else had already done it.

I then drove the family to Chiang Saen and helped a little with taking photos and stopping aunties from tumbling on the uneven steps down to the boat.

Did you do something difficult or challenging today?

Being outside was a challenge today as it was over 40 degrees in the sun and there were occasions when it wasn’t possible to stay in the shade, though thankfully not for long.

The whole day was a bit of challenge but as I mentioned, going with the flow was the best option to getting through it.

I took this picture because this was the final farewell for Grandmum, into the Mae Khong.

For What It’s Worth – 29th March 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 3 Comments

Tell me what you want me to say
And I’ll say it
Just slip a dollar into my hand

The great shepherds of society
Created an illusion of fear
To maintain their demand

For whatever it’s worth
I’m just as happy as all the other people
I know

So drop some silver in my pocket
Buy me now
Before I go

Submitted to Ragtag Daily Prompt – buy now.

Today I’m feeling:

Really tired again.  It feels like I just can’t get enough good unbroken sleep.  Cap woke us both up again last night, vomiting up some food.  

I’m starting to feel really concerned for him now.  He’s not eating or drinking enough and is all saggy skin and bones.  It feels like this might be his final days but I hope I’m wrong.  

Maybe I’m just being overly cautious after being less concerned with Kim Chi last year.

Today I’m grateful for:

The people who found Leo after he ran off this evening and Amy had to go and ride around to search for him. Without luck, she then just happened to check a local online message board where someone had posted that they’d found a lost dog. That crazy Leo!

The best thing about today was:

Watching more of the 3 Body Problem. I don’t have energy for much at the moment and am already in bed at 8 pm.

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

After a couple of coffees, I cancelled meeting up with Matt and figured to go to school and sign the documents to get paid before going home to catch up on sleep. Nancy sent a reminder to go to sign the documents so that was my trigger to leave. 

It was already about 36 degrees and with the bad air and lack of sleep, I was super dizzy, especially after walking up to the fourth floor where waiting for me was absolutely no one. 

I was about to pass out and couldn’t wait around and so left a message with Nancy saying there was no one there and I was sick and leaving.

When I got home there was another message from Nancy saying that if I didn’t sign today I would be paid late, without giving any indication of what late meant.

I flaked into bed but couldn’t get a good rest, sleeping for maybe only twenty minutes. I tried to get Kru Mai to go and sign for me. Why not! Why do we even need to go through this nonsense every month?

At three-forty, looking like there was no other way around it I decided to drive back just to sign their paper.

I took this picture because this tree at school is blossoming and looked great with the sun rising and the school building in contrast.

The Truants – 4th March 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

We found our place, a gathering stone
A place to hide and smoke cigarettes
To tell each other dirty jokes
And stories of first-love fumbled sex

Hidden away from prying eyes
Though all knew where we were
Once a month, rounded up
To the headmaster’s wrath incur

It was our heaven in quiet times
To laugh and joke and sing
Away from all the realities
That our wasted lives would bring

Submitted to Crimson’s Creative Challenge, inspired by the picture above.
11th Apr 2024 – Submitted to RDP Thursday

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty relaxed and happy.  A little tired as Amy kept me up late when she got home last night, tired and emotional, overthinking about family things.

Today I’m grateful for:

The jelly candies that I bought in Mae Sai last month.  I’ve been eating them myself because they are delicious but they are also a good candy to give to my students as treats.  They mostly prefer them over the fruity Mentos.

The best thing about today was:

Having my students read one-on-one and two-on-one in my classes today.  I was happily surprised by a couple of students’ improvement over the last twelve months.  I like this time of year for the relaxed attitude towards study.

I’ve thought before that it would be good if it could be like this all the time but when I think deeper it is perhaps because of all the pushing and hard work during the year that they have gotten more comfortable with their study.

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

In the morning Amy told me she wanted me to come home between classes to take Cap to the vet.  I wasn’t into this idea because I wanted to chill at the cafe, catching up on reading and also because with the change of plans at the weekend it meant driving to the city and back twice instead of once.  Her plan for today would’ve meant another two trips in one day.

I suggested it would be better to wait until we got the truck back and then she can take Cap at her leisure.  Thankfully she agreed to this idea before I left for school.

Something I learned today?

I saw a headline about a Palestinian mother’s newborn twin babies who were killed in an Israeli airstrike.  She had been waiting ten years to conceive.  

Zionists sure know how to inspire hatred.  This will not end well.

25 THINGS ABOUT LIFE I WISH I HAD KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO –  24. Never Look Back Too Long. Reflecting on the past is only good for one thing: Learning.

I am taking a lot of time looking back these days as I go through putting information into this blog.  I am sometimes nostalgic but as the life lesson says, I am using this information for learning.  

I’ve almost fully given myself over to my students and Amy these days.  I’m less inward-focused in my day-to-day life even though I do do a lot of thinking.  

I’m happy where I’m at though not sure where I am going just now.

I took this picture of the flowering tree that I park my car under in the afternoons, in a vague attempt at keeping it cool. The flowers are pretty. I think I took a similar picture last year.

This Poet Saves Lives – 23rd February 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 25 Comments

This poem saves lives
Drawing down the heavens
When without inspiration
All at sixes and sevens

This painting saves lives
Painted with blood and muck
When without inspiration
And the world seems to suck

This song saves lives
Proffered just as it was
Inspired by the chorus
And sung loud just because

These words save lives
In these perilous times
And inspiration found
Reading between the lines

Inspired (unironically) by The Red Hand Files #274 – check it out for some wise words from old man Nick Cave.

Submitted to Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge INSPIRATION
13th Sep 2024 – Shared with Poets and Storytellers United – speak up or stay silent
3rd Nov 2024 – Shared with Ragtag Daily Prompt – chorus

Today I’m feeling:

Under the weather again.  Last night I could feel a slight tickle and ache in my throat as I was about to sleep.  

I slept well though not enough and my alarm woke me up with a start to which I succumbed to another 30 minutes of snoozing, skipping exercise.  When I got up I could feel the oncoming sore throat, confirmed by blood in my nose.  

My mood was down a little too but it’s Friday so let’s go and get it done.

Today I’m grateful for:

Discovering that there is a holiday on Monday.  Yippee!

The best thing about today was:

A chilled vibe at school (see below) and spending about five hours at House, reading, lesson planning, blogging and writing.  What a job!

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

At the morning flag ceremony, I noticed that my grade 7 classes were less than half in attendance and discovered that they were attending some meeting about a field trip. OK….

When it came to class time there were only about ten students and they told me the rest were still in the meeting.

I went to find Kru Karn, their homeroom teacher who didn’t know anything about where they were.  I mentioned a field trip and she said ‘oh yes, there’s about 6 students going.’  I asked when it was and she thought that it was in the holiday.  ‘Hmm’, I said, ‘that’s weird because there are more than 6 students missing from the class?’

She came to my class and talked with one of the students and was surprised to find out herself that many of the student’s parents skipped the process of advising her about their children going on the trip and, more importantly, the trip starts on Monday and is for one week!

The communication here is so crazy – no one knows what’s going on.

I said ‘Well, I guess that’s it for teaching these kids this semester.’  Kru Karn agreed and advised to start doing their grading files.  And it leaves me with another day with no classes again already.

Something I learned today?

As I was wandering around Baipad’s class this morning, because my class was cancelled and Kru Ren wasn’t there, I learned that a couple of students are taking money from the lazy ones to complete their coursework for them.

It’s enterprising of the hard-working kids to make some spare cash but disappointing from a teacher’s perspective.

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

I offered Baipad to help her on Monday with all her catchup work.  Let’s see if she gets it together to actually wake up and do it.

I helped various students in their different classes today as my own classes being mostly free time for everyone.

Kru Fluke dropped in to visit.  I gave her a big smile and a hug, happy to see her again.

25 THINGS ABOUT LIFE I WISH I HAD KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO –  20. Enjoy Small Things. I like clichés because they are true.

Over the last three or four years of self-improvement I’ve followed the Noticing Things blog (I forget the proper name), thought about gratitude every day (with a couple of exceptions) and been writing, journalling, blogging etc.  All of these combined have led me to enjoy the small things.

Partly due to this, I’m not often in the vicinity of big things and things that I once thought of as big seem comparatively small these days too (the circumstance of ageing).

One thing that I was doing more of last year or the year before was savouring moments.  I don’t often stop to remind myself to savour something now.  I should practice that again.

I took this picture last weekend when I was getting my haircut. HoiTod makes me miss little Kim so much, almost one year now since she’s gone. Sniffle.