Tag: satisfied

Satisfied – 1st July 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 5 Comments

Through a process of elimination
We conquered our impulsive mind
To overcome the madness
That once made us so blind

Valley waters now run clean
Pure air fills our lungs
Meditating on our madness
Forced to review the sums

So the moon eyes open
A twinkle amongst the gleams
Falcon flight a-diving
At the fish thriving in our streams

Submitted to No Theme Thursday and Three Things Challenge #M739

Today I’m feeling:

A little bit down this morning, but not about anything specifically.  I think it was still the leftover rust from drinking on Friday.  It takes so long for me to recover now that it just isn’t worth it.

I struggled with exercise this morning but glad that I did.  I have found some videos that I might try to follow, too.  I keep going across different exercise apps, but they all want my money and for some reason I only just now realised I can just follow along with videos instead.  I’ll try my first one tomorrow.

I felt much better after my first class, my happy grade 12s and the lesson I had come up with worked well with them, so that gives me confidence for the next two classes that I try it with.

Today I’m grateful for:

My wage (again!).  Much of it disappearing already into cat food, the electricity bill and a little shopping.  A bit more will disappear tomorrow when I pay off my credit at House.

The best thing about today was:

Kru Tang roping me into helping a trio of primary students with their pronunciation for a presentation that they will give next week.  Their English is excellent already and I could only offer minimal advice.

But the best things that came out of it is that for three days next week, many students are away at these competitions so the school will be closed to students. Those not in competitions are to be taught online.

What that means for me, though, is no classes as I don’t have the knowledge or facility to teach online.

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

Suddenly, the power went out when I was teaching and I was assuming that it was in the whole building, school or area.  I continued teaching without missing a beat and writing on the board instead of using the projector.

Something I learned today?

At the end of the class, when the power went out, I discovered that it was just our room where it was out and so I assumed that a breaker had been tripped and now I know where they are.  

Another teacher asked me if both of the air conditioning units were on and I wasn’t sure but it made me think afterwards, what if they were?  There are two air conditioning units in each classroom, why have them if there is not enough capacity to use them!?

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I sent Baipad and Anchan a translated parable from Khalil Gibran.  It is about fear and dealing with it.  

I talked it through with Baipad who is not well practiced at understanding allegory or thinking more broadly about things.  

I hope that she understood the meaning a little deeper than before.

The Alien – 19th November 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Came along in a shiny craft
Took one look and loudly laughed
Said ‘These things are sadly daft!’

Abilities deeply bereft
Nothing even worthy of theft
Closed the hatch and quickly left

Left no trace of any sort
Radioed home and did report
The value of this place is naught

Today I’m feeling:

A little worse again as all the phlegm gathered in my chest has decided it wished to evacuate, during the night. In an effort to stop constantly coughing, I shoved an extra pillow under my head and tried to raise my top end up so that the green slime stayed down in my chest until the morning. This tactic only had minimal effect though and it seems I have a constant supply of rising mucus now as I sit coughing into my coffee.

Today I’m grateful for:

Bruno’s high-pressure hose again, as I got back after coffee and with a burst of energy cleaned up the paths and area outside the kitchen and they are now gleaming white. They should stay like that for a year or so.

The best thing about today was:

The mango sticky-rice flavoured ice cream that didn’t really taste like mango sticky-rice but was delicious in its own way. 

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

When using the high-pressure hose at the back door I knew the muddy water was going to spray under the door and into the kitchen a little (because nothing fits properly in Thailand!) and sure enough, it did.

After I finished Amy asked me why I didn’t close the door when I was hosing. I did!

I was hoping she would clean up but she asked me to and in the end, it was pretty quick and easy. No big deal.

Something I learned today?

I watched an interesting video of an American guy who was in Laos and trying to visit the casino area in the Golden Triangle. Casinos are already sketchy places in my eyes and I was totally put off them after visiting Macau.

This guy found a few sketchy things too but where there’s money, there are workers (willing or not) and as this area of the world is so poor people are easily lured there.

Commenters were worried about his safety and it made me consider some of the sketchy situations I found myself in some places before too. I think I just figure most people have good intentions and those that don’t don’t generally fuck with you if you don’t fuck with them.

What are three words to describe how I feel right now?

Satisfied, content and (is there a single word that describes a sore neck?)

I took this picture because I dropped off some lanterns at Daytripper and the reflections on the waterlogged paddy fields were enticing. I enjoyed a nice early afternoon coffee there too.

Stuck In Reverse – 9th September 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Oil pours from the heart
Thick, sad and grey
Even the falling tears
Cannot wash it away
Struggling with movement
This unreal ache inside
Consumes all thoughts
As if one had died

Life continues blurred
A no-prescription fix
Life left without magic
A wall without bricks
Cogs no longer turning
Rusted brown from salt
Stuck in reverse
But nobody’s fault

Today I’m feeling:

Still a little run-down. I had some tension in my legs that stopped me from sleeping much beyond my alarm and eventually pulled myself out of bed. The gardeners are coming today and I was expecting them to wake me up but no sign yet. I contemplated some exercise but flaked out. Ugh.

Today I’m grateful for:

Being able to watch the AFL again this season. This elimination final has got me tense and stressed and it’s the end for Sydney and the rest of the day will feel a little flat unless I find something to do to pick myself up. Fark it!

I’m also grateful to the Swans for their determination to make the finals this year against the odds. They are not a premiership-looking team at the moment though to be fair they weren’t in 2012 either when they beat Hawthorn. Let’s wait for next summer.

The best thing about today was:

Receiving a nice message from my student Namkhing (see yesterday) for helping her improve her English. It made me feel appreciated.

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

The gardeners still hadn’t come by 1 pm so I went out to grab some lunch and go shopping and when I got back three hours later they were just leaving. As I wasn’t here I couldn’t tell them not to cut Kim’s patch but at least they left the tub that is placed over her plant. The things growing there will recover pretty quickly anyway so not too bad.
Elsewhere I can see everything is pretty badly done if you look closely. Really no attention to detail.
I was curious if the little papaya would get destroyed and sure enough, it did. I don’t want to tell Amy how unsatisfied I am with their work as it will just make her upset and angry and give her more ammunition to complain about her undeveloped third-world country. I think that will just get me down so I’ll just dwell on the fact that at least the grass looks better.

Something I learned today?

There are an estimated 8.7 million species on earth and more than 80% of them are undiscovered. (factanimal.com)

What am I most excited about for the future?

I should be more excited about going to Australia and I probably will feel it more once I land. The familiarity of Sydney will make for a strange feeling as this will be the first time to take a holiday in this city. Most holidays I had when I was there involved going to someplace else.

As I was writing this Amy video-called and I could see the familiar deep blue sky behind her. I could sense the smells, sounds and feeling of being there. Whilst I miss that now, I know that familiarity breeds contempt or more just complacency and taking things for granted. Maybe I’m even taking things for granted here now too as I’m less awed by the fact that I am here in Thailand.

Beyond that, I’m not particularly excited about anything specifically. I’m either flat or satisfied with where I’m at right now and I prefer to think I’m the latter.

I took this picture because this excited little pup came to greet me at the restaurant next door to Utopia. It’s grown since I last saw it but I could still squash it with my foot!

Why does everybody have to be like that? – 14th January 2020

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

What 3 things are you most proud of?

I am most proud of all the things I have done with tenzenmen – organising tours and shows are always a lot of fun. Challenging but fun.
I am also proud of the time I had to deal with losing my job of eighteen years which set me on this new journey.
I am also proud of the work I have been doing as a teacher – making a positive difference in the lives of some children.
I am not yet fully proud of my son, though I feel it is coming. He shows flashes of inspiration that will one day all come together to make me proud.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that I am able to use my native language skills and help other people to better understand. I sometimes still can’t believe that I am a teacher. I don’t feel any smarter than anyone else, even the kids I teach.

27th Dec 2022 – I started doing Laurie Santos’ online Happiness course (at Coursera I think it was) and these were my starting results. I’m not sure I went back to check after I finished the course. Either way, it was an interesting learning experience.

Accept that change is necessary, learn to accept whatever befalls you and remain cheerful in the face of great adversity.
– a simple piety

piety – strong belief in a religion that is shown in the way someone lives.
virtue – a good moral quality in a person, or the general quality of being morally good.

Every day I feel that I am developing inwardly. Why, then, should I be in despair?

Anne Frank

To-do list

  • Clean up the balloons ✅
  • Move the bricks and concrete base ✅
  • Continue Coursera study ✅
  • Next read-to-lead challenge ✅
  • Dream book questions ✅

Another satisfying day today and I feel like I have a lot of energy.

This morning I was taken aback a little when a girl student said I wasn’t good. She didn’t explain but I felt odd and wondered if someone else had been saying things about me. I tried to evaluate how rational my thinking was and decided to put it out of my mind. People may think but it’s not true.

Then, a little later, by coincidence, I came across a quote ‘You will become less concerned with what other people think of you when you realise how seldom they do.’ Tomorrow I will try to maintain this positive attitude by continued study and practising my character strengths.