Tag: smile

To Rise – 14th January 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

Shared with dVerse Quadrille #239 – smile, which immediately made me think of the Fall and so I went investigating the lyrics of their album containing the titular song. The italicised words are taken from various songs from the album Perverted By Language.

Repetitious history
Disease-ridden southern spectres
To fall, to rise again

Back to trade, back to barter
War is over with no shots fired

Undone, the strife-knot
For it’s…
The death of the dimwits
That makes US smile

Global majority
Once perverted by language
Definitive

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Cut The Strings That Pull Your Mind

Fear, suspicion and desire all may beg
For your time and attentions
A spark may be lighting the powder keg
To blow up your pretensions

Just desserts – 20th December 2019

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Today I found one of the students guiltily copying work of another student. He puts a lot of effort into avoiding working and running around finding someone to copy. That effort could just go into thinking.

When I told the teacher who was teaching them they just shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter and I noticed this made me feel a little miffed and I’m considering why.

I have something against this student due to his laziness and maybe I just wanted him to be punished. On the other hand, maybe the teacher has the right attitude. If the student can only learn to copy then he will discover the appropriate reward in his future.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the things that made me smile this week. Mostly it was the students, sometimes the cats, always Amy and sometimes myself. I smiled because of the simple things in my life that make me happy.

To-do list

  • Compliment a teacher and the students
  • Clear more emails and tabs!
  • Do something nice for someone.
  • Write to Jochen – same idea as with Aaron.
  • Study some more Thai.
  • Can you meditate today?

Did it list

  • Positive encouragement for students.
  • Stayed calm – only raised voice to be heard.
  • 10,000 steps without realising.
  • Under 81kg today.
  • 30 squats and 30 weightless shoulder presses.
  • Tried to be positive when talking with Boyan.
  • Took time to play with students.
  • Wrote to Jochen.
  • Called and encouraged Ellen.
  • Tried to call Echo.
  • Wrote some more relevant thoughts to Lachlan.
  • Read more online, closed some tabs but opened many more!
  • Cleared many emails.
  • Finished watching Happy!
  • Sorted new music files.
  • Studied a little Thai.

Today I tried really hard to be mindful of the things that I wanted to do. I wasn’t able to achieve all these things but having them in the front of my mind was a good exercise and something I will continue to practice. I gave quite a few students verbal compliments and confidence boosters and it was nice to get some positive feedback from them too. 
I might have to consider streamlining some email lists I’m on as I’m starting to get a little overwhelmed with so many things that I would like to explore.