Been through all my mp3s Got them into folders Making them easier to find Tagged with genre holders Downloaded semi-legally Some, decades ago Now they are all mine Apparently so
Now I have cloud storage Folders I can share 7 million songs Are waiting for you there Music, the great healer In any shape or form From drum to vinyl to CD And now digital the norm!
Been through all my vinyl got them into plastic sleeves protection from the dust and grime that passing time it leaves Cathartic, it was wholesome remembering the time when I purchased each and brought them home when they were all then mine
And now I have a flight case with a selection waiting there to play on my turntable and with some others share Music, the great healer it is a remedy to cure or at very least bring respite as its purpose is so pure
A little better this morning. I started feeling a little better last night but crashed out early deliriously in and out of consciousness hearing the duff duff of the DJ and Amy’s screams. Amy was the last one standing, as usual, dancing on her own as everyone else retired and left.
Today I’m grateful for:
Aing and Now, who have been borrowing our bike and car but put petrol in them and got the front tyre of the bike replaced when it went flat last night.
The best thing about today was:
Reading more of this book about the Rise and Fall of the British Empire, this time about the way the British dealt with China from 1800 onwards.
I’ve read about this history before and it still makes me upset. I kind of felt smug whilst reading it this time though, knowing how the UK is fairing in the world these days compared to China.
Something I learned today?
In Vietnam, for many drunk drivers, it’s cheaper to abandon the bike than to pay the fine. Now the police are wondering what to do with them all…
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I helped Baipad with work and motivation for about an hour and a half this morning and I think she carried on working after I left and hopefully finished them all.
25 THINGS ABOUT LIFE I WISH I HAD KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO – 21. Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously. Yeah, yeah, you’re an individual, and people have to take you seriously, I get it. But at the end of the day, we’re all a bunch of ants trying to chase the same things. Lighten up.
I don’t take myself too seriously though I do take what I do seriously.
People say I am serious but I think that it is just that I am not easily amused by many people, not adults.
It’s hard to be serious surrounded by naughty 13-year-olds much of the day and whilst it’s still easy to fall down to their level I hope I at least pull them up a little bit to mine.
I don’t mind being a clown or a fool for the sake of the kids. It makes me laugh to think of adults looking down on me for clowning around.
Everyone has gotten access All the words ever written Pictures painted, songs sung Fifty bazillion millisecond process No bugs to be bug bitten The shutdown has begun
Standing in the matrix queue A beta-meta icon version Presses three after the tone There’s nothing left to do In this world’s perversion Except to feel more alone
Got up soon after my alarm, grabbed coffees and then spent a good few hours in my room, adding blog entries, reading and playing guitar.
I was glad to go out and do something different yesterday though I wasn’t particularly excited being at the balloon festival.
I’m not particularly excited by much these days to be honest but I am happy and that’s more important.
Today I’m grateful for:
Air quality being better than this time last year. It’s still not great but can only hope that it doesn’t get worse.
The next week will tell the tale as temperatures rise up to 37 degrees again.
The best thing about today was:
Not taking a nap and having a feeling of not wasting a weekend day. It was pretty relaxed but I got some stuff done so I’m pretty happy with everything.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Not something that was out of my control but it was midday before I remembered that I hadn’t taken my medicine today. As I was in my room I figured I’d take it when I got back inside but forgot again.
By mid-afternoon, I felt a little dizzy when I got up from my chair but figured that I’d made it this far without the medicine that I’d just skip it for today.
Dizziness is the main side effect of not taking it and it’s not like I will drop into a funk just by missing one day.
Something I learned today?
Hayden is in New York. He and his girlfriend were driven down through snow from Canada for 6-7 hours to get there.
They are wrapped up and enjoying New York pizza.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I sent a message to Baipad this morning offering to come and teach her today if she wanted. I didn’t get a reply but I would’ve been happy to if she would have liked.
I was reminded of Baipad later in the evening when reading some blog post about inspiring self-confidence in children helps make them happier adults. In these days of mobile devices as parent substitutes, I wonder what will inspire self-confidence?
I took this picture because this is Tangmo. The dog’s bollocks.
No longer memories in a desert That night of drunken play Lost to the pictured word That claims all that happened that day
Today I’m feeling:
Anxious and excited as classroom days resume. The fun, the fighting, the lessons we all learn.
Today I’m grateful for:
Finding two useful textbooks in the teacher’s room which I immediately turned one part of the text into a lesson that I used for the grade 7 class. I figured it would be pretty easy revision and just take an hour but they managed to stretch it to two with lots of faffing around.
The best thing about today was:
Listening to the You Don’t Know Mojack podcast about the Volcano Suns album ‘Thing of Beauty’ on the way home from work and then in the evening playing guitar along to a couple of tunes from it. Love that band.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
A couple of my grade 7 students were a little temperamental in my class this afternoon and tested my patience a lot. It’s early days as we all get used to each other again and instead of getting too bothered, I tried to find other solutions to get them back in line.
Something I learned today?
I read about the China-Laos rail line that crosses the border in Laos at a place called Botan. The crossing in 1993 was little more than a single iron bar gate but now lots of investment has grown the city rapidly. Despite the economic slowdown and the pandemic’s effect on travel, Laotians are hoping that this is a springboard to a better future.
List three goals for this month.
Renew my tourist visa. This is a must!
Get back to the exercise routine I had before the holiday.
Get back to around 80kg again, whilst improving my fitness.
Nam took this picture because the class insisted on a photo with everyone showing off the koala souvenirs I gifted to them.
Awake and alive despite only about six hours of sleep. Also feeling a little fragile and on edge but don’t know why. I feel like if something doesn’t go to plan I could easily lose the plot.
Today I’m grateful for:
Funfai for inviting me to play tennis which we finally got to do today. I made it through about 30 minutes and she had already been playing for an hour before that! It was only 9.30 am but over 30 degrees and no shade. I haven’t played for more than twenty years so everything was pretty stiff. My brain knew what it wanted my body to do but my body wasn’t always capable. I was dizzy after sitting down, drenched in sweat and super stinky as my shirt was one of those that hadn’t dried properly in the sun last week. And although my body feels used up I think it is happy to have been used. I want to go again!
The best thing about today was:
Finding out that Carsick Cars will play in Sydney whilst I’m there! I saw they will play with Garry David, so hit up Bob Blunt to get more info. Amy already has me busy with lunch and dinner appointments on the day they play but Bob advised that they added an afternoon matinee show which I should be able to squeeze in – no problem! Cool bananas! He also told me Julian Wu is the tour organiser so I messaged him too and he’s prepaid a ticket for me and it will be awesome to catch up with everyone again. What a trip!
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I got a message overnight from an M3 student, Pon, who I taught last year saying he was hoping to join the English Program next year but his grades weren’t up to scratch. I had rarely interacted with him and he was always quiet in class though he usually did my work. His low grade was when Dylan was teaching him and I’m not sure why he decided to message me to say he was devastated. I’m understanding but not exactly sympathetic. His grade was in his own hands and now he’s reaping the results of his lack of attention at the time. ‘Don’t care was made to care’ as I was often told as a child! Students are not taught how their decisions and actions affect their futures.
I read an article today about the negative effects of phone use and social media on children and how it affects the mental health of the undeveloped brain. It’s common sense to me that kids shouldn’t have phones in class! Even though I have tried to have them utilise their phones for study they often switch in and out to other apps which I know is detrimental to learning and memory.
I also received a message from my M2 student Alew, asking about scholarships. I don’t know how you go about applying for those but I’m glad he’s asking the question. I pointed him to Champ who may be able to give him some advice.
Something I learned today?
I saw that in China you can order your taxi by phone and if you are not sure where it might be, like at an airport for example, you can shake your phone and it will trigger the hazard lights on the car. And once in the taxi, you can control the aircon from your phone too.
What motivates me to do my best?
If I am invested in something I will do my best. Sometimes if I’m not invested I will also try to do my best but be less bothered about the result.
I am always trying my best at school to entertain and teach my classes. I put a lot of effort and energy into that and I’m personally motivated by that. I care about the results for the students and not for the results as seen by the school, which is why I disagree strongly with their grading policy.
Funfai took this picture because I asked her to. I wanted to see how I looked after running around in the sun for thirty minutes!
Autoscroll with the eyes Swipe right for a surprise Emoji conversations Anti-social innovations Everyone just a click away What was learned today? A new world record recorded One second, triple crown awarded Today’s winner of the internet Is so easy to forget But you either follow or lead The new social etiquette agreed
Today I’m feeling:
As enthusiastic as the weather which is dull and grey. Not unhappy though. As I sit drinking my coffees I contemplate the day, where I may watch yesterday’s AFL grand final, play guitar, read and read and read and possibly vacuum through the house, though that is bottom of the list. I’m contemplating the week ahead and have to go to get medicine tomorrow morning, do some shopping and get some more lesson plans ready before travelling next week. And right now I’m wondering when my washing will ever get a chance to dry.
(Later) Sun did eventually crack open the sky but not quite enough to completely dry my sodden pants and towel.
Today I’m grateful for:
The vacuum cleaner and the excellent work it did following me around sucking up lizard shit and cat hair. I feel like I can pretend a room is clean if it’s been vacuumed. Just don’t look too closely.
The best thing about today was:
An afternoon visit to Utopia for a little extra buzz to push me through the nap stage and spur on my cleaning enthusiasm.
I also bought a 30-baht light switch and replaced the dimmer switch in the living room because the dimmer switch only works with old-style bulbs. The fluctuations of voltage in the house blows the bulbs too often that it’s annoying to keep replacing them especially as they also getting harder to find in stores.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
As I was talking with Amy this evening I realised that this coming week I would need to walk Leo in the mornings and afternoons but had planned to go to work and just hang around a little while and then come home (or for tomorrow go to get new meds at the hospital). This would mean two trips to the city each day which would work out expensive petrol wise. Amy seemed a little annoyed when I mentioned this and she was already tired and ready to sleep and didn’t want to have to think about it further.
In the meantime I think what I will do is do the double trip tomorrow, hang around at House on Tuesday until the afternoon and then on Wednesday I have a plan to meet Bruno and some of our old students for lunch so hanging around isn’t a big deal. Then on Thursday, I can take Leo to Oil’s pet resort as that was the plan when I was away anyway.
Something I learned today?
Collingwood won the AFL grand final yesterday. It was a tight game and Collingwood have probably been the best team this season but still, unless you’re a Collingwood supporter, everyone else supports their opponents.
What do I want to focus on this month?
My focus is on keeping my head on straight, not stressing about the changes ahead and enjoying my holiday.
Outside of that, I’m kind of excited to prepare some new lessons for next semester. I know that sitting down and starting that is the hardest part and once I get into it the ideas start flowing.
I took this picture because Tigger is a photogenic cat.
Send me down to the countryside I’ll happily dig our ditches For the benefit of the countrywide Will one day lead to riches
Teach me how to let the water flow And guard against the flood Help each other to thrive and grow Community built on sweat and blood
Today I’m feeling:
Pretty good though still a little rundown. My weekends are feeling the reverse of how they used to. I’m enjoying being at school during the day more than being at home. I know Amy will fill my time again when she’s back so I really should be relishing these lazy weekends of freedom. I’m not quite sure why I’m not.
Today I’m grateful for:
The last four candies I had in my car. When I got to school, the little group of kids I usually talk with were hanging out, eating breakfast. Noah looked at me with a smile and told me ‘Lin is crying’ and so she was. She had a snotty nose but didn’t look too sad.
I tried to find out what was upsetting her and all it seemed to be was that the food she bought for breakfast tasted bad. I think she knew that it wasn’t something so serious to be crying about but perhaps it was just an overwhelming feeling of disappointment and hunger. Tears then poured off her cheeks and into her lap though as Noah, bemused, sat by and comforted her.
Later I gave her the last of my candies and she was already feeling better.
The best thing about today was:
Finishing updating the blog with the handwritten gratitude journal entries. Another book out of the way. A lot more to go but at least I’m not adding so much more these days as I write here in the app instead.
I’ll finish up the diary and old poetry book before adding another book into my bag. I only have one more old diary to go, from 1985.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
At the beginning of my class today two girls asked if they could go to get water which I allowed them to do as I took the register and handed out worksheets. I didn’t think much about what else was going on around me but soon realised when the girls turned up again five minutes totally drenched in the storm that came through. They had no way to dry off except jumping up and down and shaking themselves off and needless to say that didn’t really work. They couldn’t do my work because they would have just gotten the sheet wet but they agreed to do it home tonight. Let’s see if they do.
Something I learned today?
There is a city in China called Nagqu that is larger by area than Sweden! This ‘factoid’ seems to depend a lot on the definition of city though.
How am I using technology to make my life better?
Mainly for reading books and articles but there are probably many more that I’m already taking for granted. I am from a time when microwaves were the brand new thing, otherwise I would be scrubbing baked beans stuck on the bottom of the saucepan til this day.
The amount of information readily available now is overwhelming and I think most people are struggling to get to grips with it all.
I do still prefer the traditional methods for consuming information and entertainment such as books, comics and CDs but even these are diminishing now. I used to collect vinyl, comics and DVDs but all these things are now readily available, legal or not, at a few clicks.
I’m sometimes somewhat dubious that this makes my life better.
What is most important?
A healthy body, a healthy mind? Love? Amy? Hayden? My cats? My home? My work? Most important….? Is anything important?
What is in my control? The struggle. The suffering. The stress. To be here. To breathe. To persevere.
This question raises more questions. Or am I just avoiding a definitive answer? Most important to me must be myself. If I don’t take care of that how can I take care of anything else.
I took this picture because the combination of the misters in the cafe entrance garden, the downpour of rain and the dark foreboding clouds suddenly made this exit from a modern cafe feel like the beginning of an adventure into a damp and mysterious wonderland.
The house is empty, the lights are off Yesterday’s glitter stuck to my shoes Spending time alone in a crowded home Are reminders there’s no time to lose
Is this now and is this our future? The illusions around me would shatter All those other sexy Halloween dresses Illuminated the things that really matter
Figured it out but was unable to act Here I am figuring it out again Trying to rescue ice cream on a sidewalk Is it even necessary to explain?
Surprisingly good. My classes have been okay and I haven’t been too serious with my lazy kids. I’m doing what I can to motivate them. If they don’t catch on at least I know I’ve tried.
Today I’m grateful for:
All the preparation work that I did during the holidays so that now I can walk into class and know that there is something ready to go, even if I can’t remember exactly how it goes, it will fall into place. I think I will run out of lessons though and have to prepare a lot more during the next holiday when I already know I will have less spare time. But I can start getting my act together sooner too.
The best thing about today was:
It being a smooth and steady, enjoyable day. Lots of points in my short-term memory without anything standing out as the best. To add one thing though that I hope will be able to bring to mind in ten years’ time perhaps….
Yesterday one of the grade 7 boys was showing off some pornographic pictures on his phone. I just happened to catch a glimpse as he was doing it. I took his phone and put it in the teacher’s room and carried on teaching. He already felt regretful, particularly as I hadn’t talked to him about it or got angry about it. When I had assigned some work and the class settled into it I asked him to come with me to the teacher’s room. The only other teacher there was Ren who I think may also seem a little intimidating and he was overhearing me ask what the pictures were and why he was so interested in showing other students. He tried making excuses but he knew it wasn’t working and as he got more uncomfortable I used translation to tell him that now is not the time for playing but for studying. I also showed him that I knew how to mark down his behaviour in the school app and deduct points that his homeroom teacher and parents can see. He went back to class with his tail between his legs and messaged me later apologising and begging me not to tell his teacher. Today his behaviour was much improved though as a typical 12-year-old, he still struggles with self-control. I hope he stays onside because he is definitely capable if he chooses.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Today was the first time that I assigned work in Quizizz to the class whilst trying to teach it step by step. Despite telling the kids not to rush ahead some of the smarter ones still did and I’m not sure quite how to go ahead with these lessons. But I’ll give it a little more time because maybe a bright idea will come out of it.
One of the technological setbacks is students not being allowed access to the microphone to record themselves speaking. I know how to fix this most times but found it almost impossible to do when the phone’s language is set to Thai!
I’ll work my way through slowly fixing this I hope!
Something I learned today?
The notoriously bad weather department of Thailand forecast drought well into 2024. It’s definitely been hot again and drier than the last two years but I’m hopeful that up here in the mountains we will be ok.
What am I looking forward to tomorrow?
I got the good news today that one of my classes tomorrow and Friday will be off doing something which makes my days much easier. I’m looking forward to that!
I took this picture on the weekend because Bruno and I came across this bullpen as we were walking around the university botanical garden. The bulls were separated from the mum and calf, the photo of which I posted before.
Did the time come to be wasted? Why do tomorrow what can be done today? Failure comes along quickly tasted Do it now and get it out of the way
Don’t waste time wishing when the end comes Do you really think you’ll live forever Wondering why you cannot square the sums No one’s time is ever made to measure
Today I’m feeling:
Pretty happy and a little tired. Having trouble with new technology (new for me) has made me stressed at times but I think I’m getting a better understanding of it.
Today I’m grateful for:
There being food in the freezer (that I bought yesterday) so I could easily eat when I got home without having to go back out again. Not much left for tomorrow now though I can probably figure out how to fill my stomach if I’m tired again.
The best thing about today was:
Meeting my M4 class of students who are a little older and a little more responsible and prepared to learn. A breath of fresh air compared with what I’m used to. I can see already some of my younger students in a couple of other classes are going to test my patience especially one who filled in an online question with ‘fuck you’! I had to laugh. It wasn’t serious, he was just trying to be clever. These new classes feel like a better mix than last year but I might be proved wrong about that too.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I guess this goes back to the technology that I mentioned above. I needed to get everyone logged into Quizizz and it was a big pain especially as most of the student’s phones are set to Thai. I think I worked out that because I sent a link in LINE it opens a window in the app instead of in the phone’s browser. This seemed to cause inconsistencies with the student names. I guess I’ll figure it out over the next few days but I hope it doesn’t become such a big problem that I have to give up using the app.
I took this picture because I put Tigger outside as often as I am so that he at least has to get his body moving just to get back inside. As I was leaving home he came out onto the long grass to chew some. I think he has an upset tummy at the moment and maybe a little temperature.
One tooth hag with leather jacket Brown from bent back stooping In exposed fields of watery weed Where crucified shirts scare birds swooping
Every home with a lemonade stand Auntie and child in hammock swinging Dancing girls adorn a bamboo stage Drunken uncles make attempts at singing
Families ring the rubber trees Teenage boys ride off for fishing In ditches and streams formed in rainy season Sat in sun, waiting, hoping, wishing
Up towards the tree-lined tops Down to the valley fires are burning The circle of life that never stops Just as the water wheels are turning
What does the money machine eat? It eats youth, spontaneity, life, beauty, and, above all, it eats creativity. It eats quality and shits quantity.
William Burroughs
Today I’m feeling: Very relaxed, almost too relaxed. Today I’m grateful for: Being able to order food delivery for lunch and eating delicious rice with pineapple and cashew nuts. I feel old because I still marvel at being able to order food through app, that is connected to Amy’s bank to pay and then watch a map in real-time of the driver getting lost along our soi. The best thing about today was: I didn’t do a whole lot so it’s a choice between, getting up early again, unblocking the sink or buying and planting a bush and a potted plant. Have you ever benefitted from alternative medicines? Nope.
I took this picture because I received a parcel today with these inside! I realized they’d come from Amy’s friend Fon. Such a nice unexpected surprise. Considering splashling out on Vegemite for a taste of (another) home.
1994ever 