Tag: Visa application

Hulk Think! – 24th July 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Our society is wealthy enough to meet our needs
Yet organised such that violence is needed to survive
Fight not crime but instead, fight those who create it
A real civil society dictates what it means to be alive

inspired and paraphrased from Existential Comics 507

Today I’m feeling:

Slept badly and though I know I’m tired I also know today is an easy day, at least beyond the fact that we are running around doing my visa which is a stress all by itself. 

I forced myself to exercise a little this morning even though my routine is disrupted by Amy being here and us running around doing things.

Sometimes I can see how old people get grumpy when routines are broken. I don’t want to get set in my ways but I do want to get back into an exercise routine again.

Today I’m grateful for:

The visa officer who was kind and helpful and despite us having a small issue with a bank statement he allowed my visa to be processed and I have to go back in September hopefully to receive another year’s grace. 

The process is always stressful and has Amy wound up and I try my hardest to not bite and stay calm. Having not slept well I managed until around 11 am and was starting to flag. Whether Amy sensed that or not I’m not sure but I perked up when she decided, out of the blue, to buy me some nice shirts. Later in the day I also found some nice cheap work pants too. 

The best thing about today was:

Having the free time to deal with all the visa bullshit without too much hassle and still get back to hanging out with the kids at lunchtime and for my single class. Then back to shopping at the mall.

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

I lost my temper a little at the end of my class today as we were running out of time and a few girls were playing TikTok dancing on their phones. It passed quickly when I took the phone away and told them that they could get it back from their homeroom teacher at the end of the day. When the class finished one of the girls stayed behind and was suitably contrite, asking for the phone back. I was okay to do that this time with a reminder that next time it will definitely happen.

Something I learned today?

I found out that the visa officers at immigration get their lunchtime coffees at House. They came in as I was leaving today.

What are some activities or hobbies that bring me joy?

Joy? Sometimes when I’m riding my motorbike I get a feeling approaching joy. The smells, the air (when it’s clean), the cool of the shade, the freedom to discover. 

In the classroom, there are occasions when joy erupts, which is less easy when you’re on the teaching side of the equation.

Otherwise, there are times of happiness, satisfaction and fun but joy is not an emotion I particularly need to chase after. Small brief moments are preferable.

Takky took this picture because, for my visa application, we have to take photos in our bedroom, outside our front gate and, for this year, we turned the teaching room into our living room as Amy entertained there last night.

Check and Balance – 21st August 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

We found the gold, inspired by dreams
Furious labour generated the means
No stone unturned, nothing it seems
– Left resting on laurels waiting

On the other side of the rainbow where
Further riches found to those who dare
Turn off your taps from which to share
– Numbers ever bigger accumulating

Now standing alone on an empty shore
The sun is setting, there’s nothing more
Was it all worth the fighting for?
– To watch accounts ever-inflating

For all your atoms the gods reclaim
There’s no longer a use for your name
The prince and the pauper – all the same
– The imbalance of our own creating

Some inspiring lines from ‘Abe – Wrong for all the Right Reasons’ by Glenn Dakin
13th Mar 2024 – Submitted to Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Chemistry

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the crispy peanut brittle I bought yesterday and ate today. It reminded me of my mum who used to love getting it when her teeth were still good. I hope my teeth can hang in there!

After wearing a neck support, which has been helping, I woke up today worse than ever. Actually, I woke up fine, but then twisted wrong and now struggle to look to the left. But in good news, my lower back is feeling a bit better now.

Yesterday was an odd one as we ran around with my visa application. I had to cancel one of my classes cos I was still stuck at Immigration, and then I discovered that my 90-day check-in wasn’t renewed with my latest visa, which I had assumed it would be, so I got fined for not doing it in time. That pissed me off so I cancelled my other class for the day and came home and happily dozed while listening to music instead. It was sweet bliss!

Here We Go Again – 29th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

We’re off to the office
Where the witches never smile
What should take 5 minutes
Is sure to take a while
It’s a dreaded moment
Waiting for confirmation
This time can be no mistakes
On my visa application
……
Luckily it was quiet today
No one in the queue
And even the witches were happy
With nothing much to do
In and out like a flash
I get to stay another sixty days
I hope it’s this easy next time
So I can enjoy my stays

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful today as it’s Amy’s birthday and we will have a nice lunch together at Le Meridian. She will also help at immigration to apply for my new visa. I am so happy to have her in my life.

Amy’s birthday today. 42 years old. Still a young ‘un.

I didn’t feel so fantastic this morning – slight sore throat and headache but I still did some morning exercise and talked myself out of feeling worse.

I’m happy that on Monday to Thursday, I have 2/9 each morning as they are mostly good students and we can have fun together. And sure enough, by the end of the class, I was in a calm enough mood to deal with Amy’s crankiness as we prepared things for my visa application and my house registration document. Ironic that we are getting around to getting this as I’ve got it in my head that we will go back to Australia in the future.

Well, we got that all sorted easily enough and headed off to Le Meridian for a lovely lunch with lots of bread and it was a struggle to eat so much!

Anyway, the rest of the day was fine. Greeted by Tangmo as I came home, played a bit, pulled some weeds and then Amy and I did some Just Dance as she wants to do some more exercise. It was fun, and I even beat her. I think we’ll both sleep well tonight.

All in all, a good day. Got to prepare myself for my busy teaching day tomorrow and try to orgnaise what else we will do in classes for the rest of the week.

You Bring Out The English In Me – 21st June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I’m sorry to say, it’s your fault
It’s all the stupid things I see
Sarcasm is the default result
You bring out the English in me

“That’s just great, that’s amazing!”
While I wonder what the fuck you’re doing
What I mean and say are not the same thing
Over the horizon, trouble is brewing

It’s a culture clash, war with words
I see things I should never see
Slower than thirty-three and a thirds
You bring out the English in me

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to be able to work from home today. Finally, someone at the school made the right decision for teachers to work from home due to the Covid case at school. It is the sensible decision!

Well, the students came back to school last Monday on a treacherous day of torrential rain, and it was good to see them all again. By Friday, the school was closed again due to a case of Covid that the school knew about on that first day but kept to themselves in the hope that it wouldn’t be a big deal. So typical of the Thai style. It’s very frustrating.

On Monday, Nancy was also constantly hassling me to cash her cheque and transfer her money. I was unable to get to a bank, but Amy offered to transfer it if I put some money into her account. I transferred from my account without realising it took me below the threshold needed for my visa application, which was summarily rejected on Tuesday! Now, I have to change to a 60-day visitor visa and re-apply again. I was so annoyed that it became funny.

Thailand has not endeared itself to me this week. I started wondering about leaving. We are only made to feel welcome here if we spend money. We will never be accepted as equals – sometimes it feels like a punishment for the luck of being born in a ‘better’ society. Revenge jealousy.

Anyway, I can play with my cats and the dog from next door. I still have books to read. Fuck frustration!

Poems on this day – 16th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

He Is Not…….

What am I? The hip-priest? Unappreciated?
I have feelings too, though I often hide them well
Words cut deep until your appetite is sated
Where do we go from here, only time will tell
Just a little confirmation, inquiry on my state
Will go a long way to making me feel okay
Let’s make it good again before it’s too late
And regret all the things we forgot to say

In Your Head

There’s a coward in the room
Hiding out of sight
Stuck alone with you
Through the day and night
A shadow of a being
Testing all your ideas
Teasing and twisting
Pushing the buttons of your fears
Naggin’ at your noggin
You listen to each spell
Mixing up your emotions
You can no longer tell
The differences of what’s right
And wrong at all
If you keep listening to that devil
You will surely fall

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that despite all the negative things that happened during the day with my immigration visa application – I was still able to go back to school and have a fun class with new students.

Annual Caper – 15th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Running around, filling in forms
Photocopying passports and paper
Wasting time and wasting petrol
On this stupid annual caper
“You’ve done it wrong, take it back”
Take it to another station
Always use blue ink, never black
For those lovely folks at immigration
“Thanks for coming, we’ll take your money
But go away and do it right”
Said one thing and meant another
“Now get the hell out of my sight”
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
Please let me stay in your land
It’s enough to make you want to leave
This isn’t what I’d planned
It’s like you don’t want us here
Unless we pay through the nose
Your useless corrupt system’s
Designed just to keep us on our toes
I’m trying to make it along here
A house with pets, a job and a wife
But maybe it’s time to reconsider
Where I spend the rest of my life

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to meet my students again and to meet some of the new classes. It was a lot of fun and I felt relaxed and enjoyed the day very much despite other stresses going on.