Tag: study

The Chiang Rai Alternative Hour of Double Trouble #60 – 16th October 2020

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Highly curated, carefully selected and specifically ordered* for your listening edification by world-renowned DJtenzenmen, who has over 5000 years of experience in this business.

This week there’s music from Round Eye, Fushitsusha, Guzzard, Guerilla Toss, Funkadelic, Pavement, Churn Milk Joan, The Vandals, Archers of Loaf, Negative Trend, White Plum, Hawkwind, Gnarwhal, The Five Mod Four, Augustus Pablo, Embrace, The Fabulous Monarchs, Hikes, Cheer-Accident, Indian Jewelry, Big Black, The Speed of Sound in Seawater, PiL, Vecchio and even more. Guaranteed no skulls were made in this podcast.

Intro and background music by Utotem, Phantom Tollbooth, Daniel Striped Tiger and someone else I forgot.

Find us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us if you like it, tell us if you don’t.
Listen right here or Podbean, Stitcher, Apple, Amazon…..all those cool places I guess.

* ie totally random.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that my class is cancelled today! But I should still do my homework. I’m actually enjoying learning. It’s slow progress, just like the guitar, but I can feel the progress slowly working.

Imagination turns thoughts – 22nd September 2020

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Tried dictating to the computer to record these but it’s difficult to talk and think sometimes – tells you something!

Nice dreams, didn’t want them to stop – Amy and I were at a public bath with Chris and Hillary – I don’t remember why or how.

I wasn’t tired last night – slept late. Feel okay now after exercise.

First Thai lesson today. Nervous but know it will be okay.

Look forward to coffee as always. Thoughts flip down the river but don’t come now as I’m writing. My stuck mind.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that I went shopping yesterday which gave me plenty of time to do things I want to do today

To-do list

  • Five compliments.

I’m always complimenting students and Amy so I don’t count those. I managed four compliments today. I will try for five again tomorrow.

We got that attitude! – 30th December 2019

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Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for everything that tests my patience. I have learnt to remain calm through most things and I think I’m getting better at it all the time.

To-do list

  • Prepare Lazada order.
  • Record TCRAH.
  • Wix forum.
  • Study Thai.
  • WDS tour dates.
  • Dye hair.

Did it list

  • Ordered on Lazada.
  • Read 3 chapters.
  • Recorded TCRAH.
  • Studied Thai – video and Drops.
  • Enjoyed eating and drinking in village.

Who needs action when you’ve got words? – 25th December 2019

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After a busy and tiring Sunday, I’ve been struggling this week. I’ve just started to get my energy back but not quite there mentally. If I look at the last couple of days properly I can probably realise that everything has been going along as normal. Perhaps I’ve reached a kind of plateau at the moment and the next steps will require perseverance as the improvements in my life will be smaller. Who needs action when you’ve got words?

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have friends all around the world. Thankful for technology that makes it easy for us to communicate.

To-do list

  • Go to CRPAO – be courteous if see Kru Paew.
  • Write week 15 lesson.
  • Do not complain!
  • Stay calm.
  • Next Thai video

Did it list

  • Three good fun classes today.
  • Visit CRPAO and meet old students and teachers.
  • 30 squats and 30 weightless shoulder presses.
  • I don’t recall myself complaining today.
  • Complimented some students on good thinking.
  • Only one coffee today.
  • Watched another Thai study video and Drops (study).
  • I think I stayed calm all day today.
  • Joined some online courses.
  • Streamlined my email/web browsing.
  • Read 3 chapters.
  • Went from tired and a little down to happy and enthused.
  • Showed people around Auntie’s house for rent.

In my regular class today we played a team game and people reacted differently when losing – it was a perfect opportunity to introduce kids to the growth mindset. 
I started out today feeling a little tired and flat but thankfully I had three good lessons in a row, with a quick lunch in-between. 
Then going back to CRPAO and getting an overwhelming response from the kids was very gratifying. I’m starting to get a good bonding feeling with the kids at Anuban now though and really enjoying it there. 
Time is getting more precious now and I have to squeeze things in anywhere I can – some non-essential tasks will have to be removed.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings – 24th December 2019

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Things I like about Hayden:

– kind-hearted
– caring
– talented at drums and music
– artistic
– generous towards his friends
– focused on his favourite hobby
– keeps himself hydrated
– values justice
– charitable

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to the ‘bad’ kids in my classes. The ones who test me, the ones who make it difficult, the ones who push my patience to the limit. They are helping me grow.

To-do list

  • Compliment people.
  • Do not complain!
  • Write week 15 lessons.
  • Write to Pentti – let’s get that dialogue going again.
  • Watch the next Thai video – study Thai.
  • Enjoy dinner with Amy’s family – talk more with Amy’s mum.
  • Play with the kids at lunchtime – it’s good exercise.

Did it list

  • Drops/study Thai
  • Stayed calm but had to leave one class quickly in order to remain calm – they were a real test for me today.
  • Complimented a couple of students on their work and getting questions right.
  • Tried not to complain but that is so hard, bring it into mind more often to succeed.
  • Wrote to Pentti and Lachlan.
  • Talked briefly with Echo – so good to hear her voice again – she is much more confident in English now.
  • Played with the kids at lunchtime.
  • 30 squats, read 4 chapters.

Walk like a zombie – 23rd December 2019

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Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to Mim, Fong, and Cake. They make me my coffee every day when I’m at school.

5th May 2021 – The coffee shop (Wynn) didn’t even have great coffee. Teachers were not allowed to leave school during work hours but this shop is just the other side of the road outside school. It would take 5 minutes to walk there, buy a coffee and walk back which I would do two or three times a day. At the end of the contract, they cited this as the main reason that I wouldn’t be rehired. Needless to say, they had a high turnover of foreign teachers.
There’s a real tug-of-war between Thai administrations and foreign teachers. To me, the Thai request for foreign teachers to assimilate to the Thai way seems to indicate that theirs is the best way, but even I, as a non-professional teacher, could see that it wasn’t the best way, and having come from another country (to use as a comparison) and wanting to do the best job possible for the students – it seems inevitable that not many foreign teachers are happy under this system – unless they just take the easy way out.
Why don’t I take the easy way out? It’s just not in me. I take the path of most resistance. It seems like the system of education here is purposely designed to keep people stupid. Achievements from Thai institutions are meaningless overseas because they know the situation here.
Anyway, talking to the three girls in the coffee shop – even just inane chatter – became my 5 minutes of daily bliss while working at this particular government school.

To-do list

  • Study Thai/Drops.
  • Compliment people.
  • Prepare for your mad Monday.
  • Play with the kids at lunchtime.

Did it list

  • Studied Thai/Drops.
  • Managed to stay calm all day.
  • Calmly changed plans after breaking a tooth and having to go to the dentist.
  • Hugged the kids after punishing them.

After a late night last night and an early start this morning, today has been a bit of a zombie-like feeling. Instead of feeling tired and grumpy though I felt calm and collected. I knew that eventually I would get home and be able to relax and here I am in bed now at 8 pm. I will read a little but sure to fall asleep soon.

Just desserts – 20th December 2019

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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.