“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – Andre Gide
Inspired by Hitler’s admiration of British propaganda during the First World War and still employed by those waging war these days. Written for last April’s Chimeric Poetry Scavenger Hunt: #12: Write an American Sentence using Alliteration.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Any headline and byline using modal verbs can safely be ignored as news.
A 1.6 billion US dollar budget for anti-China propaganda – is that a dollar for every Chinese person? The Western world seems to be the most propagandised people on Earth. Don’t believe anything you read. Believe what you have seen – and then only trust half of that too. China is not the enemy.
4th Dec 2024 – Shared with Ragtag Daily Prompt – collapse
Today I’m feeling:
Well slept this morning as I got a good, solid eight-hour sleep in which I hardly moved throughout the night. I don’t know why I was so energy-deprived yesterday.
I had set my alarm a little earlier to do a little exercise this morning, which I duly did, without pushing myself too hard. I have put on a couple of kilos since getting sick and skipping exercise for the past couple of months. On the upside of that, my shoulders have stopped aching, though. Still looking for balance.
(Later) I’m feeling a bit weird again. A little dizzy and unsteady, as if I’m really hungry. I snacked on some cookies and another coffee, noticing that my hand was trembling a little bit. I seem to be going through all the feelings from good to bad in just a single day!
Health:
Physical: 6
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Nong Praew, who told me again that she will move schools after this semester finishes next week.
As part of our class today, I got the kids to do a gratitude exercise. I called up a few students to ask them to tell me something that they are grateful for today.
It was interesting to watch them thinking of answers and that they could probably answer in Thai easily enough but I pushed each of them to try their best.
Praew can’t express herself much at all in English, though, so I let her use her phone to translate and she wrote me a nice message thanking me for loving her and taking care of her in class when she struggled so much.
I wished her the best of luck in her new school and hope that she can overcome her difficulties.
The best thing about today was:
Chatting with Poppy and Noah about all sorts of things, getting a little deeper than usual. I think that they appreciated the help that I gave them with their play earlier this semester.
It has been nice to watch them (and the others in their class) mature over the past three years.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I just discovered by chance this morning that we are supposed to be teaching our classes as normal again. I guess I missed a message somewhere.
However, it is only for the juniors, whom I teach in the afternoons. So I have to wait around all day just for them.
Never mind, though, the semester will be over at the end of next week.
(Later) As it turned out, even my seniors wanted me to come to class, so I dashed back to see them but when I got there, they weren’t interested in study (and I wasn’t motivated to teach anything either).
I sat with them for a while before going off around school to chat with whoever I came across.
Submitted to What’s Going On – balance and for the prompt of ‘celebration’ at completing my first course at AllPoetry.com. Maybe these words seem a little dark but for me they represent a life of fewer ups and downs and a smoother balance in my thoughts and actions.
*First three lines appropriated from Lou Barlow’s ‘It’s So Hard To Fall In Love’.
Today I’m feeling:
Positive and alive. Maybe it’s the sunny start to the day after yesterday’s gloom but I feel switched on this morning.
I have a pain in the middle of my upper back from spending too much time lying down and/or sleeping, though. I’d like to stretch or exercise it out if possible.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 8
Today I’m grateful for:
Making a new friend today as the baby calf came to visit and wasn’t too scared to run away. Once I was able to let her sniff me, she got curious and started licking and biting my hand, followed by my legs, arms and belly. Her tongue was as rough as a cat brush and I was left raw from her attention. I showered all the slobber off after savouring the cute animal’s affection.
The best thing about today was:
Getting a fair bit of poetry reading and blog updating done, along with a good 30-minute bash on guitar. The day disappeared pretty quickly and happily.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I saw a message asking us to go to school to help clean up but I’m going to ignore it for now and if asked, will say that I missed it and be apologetic.
Besides not really wanting to be at school to clean up I don’t really have any clothes, shoes or boots that I could wear either. I just donated all my old clothes yesterday and when I’m at school, I dress myself up in nice clothes, at home just wearing shorts and little else.
Another teacher just said that they will just go and do more lesson planning and I will actually be doing the same. I just don’t want to have to drive a 32km round trip for something that I can do at home (or more specifically at Utopia).
Something I learned today?
The U.S. government has passed a US$1.6 billion bill that aims to spread anti-China propaganda internationally, earmarking $325 million a year until the year 2027 to quote-unquote “counter the malign influence” of China around the world.
Malign influence!
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I took Amy’s freshly made mini cinnamon scrolls to Utopia and also dropped some in for Baipad, too.
Today I’m feeling:
A little inspired. My brain is gearing up slowly. A slow start off the grid but preparing to hit cruise speed as quickly as I can.
Today I’m grateful for:
Can I say coffee again? Art mixed a blend for me this morning that was delicious and smooth. So good that I stayed for three cups.
But I can’t always be putting coffee here so let’s be thankful for my back door, of which a big chunk of wood came off today. Pounded by intense sunshine, wild variations in temperature and cold mountain rain it was only a matter of time until it would start disintegrating. We have a screen door so no critters can get it thankfully.
The best thing about today was:
Watching a little lizard in my living room suddenly run out from behind the tv cabinet with its head held up. It was looking at the wall and an ant appeared from behind the curtain. After a second of stalking the ant was in its mouth and it dashed off to safety behind the cabinet again to enjoy its meal. This is a lizard house and without them, it would be an ant house.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Today the aircon repair people called me but they couldn’t speak any English and my Thai wasn’t good enough but I did understand enough to hear ‘add LINE’ and I said ok. I put their phone number into LINE and their profile came up but when I clicked ‘add’ it said the account had been deleted. Thankfully it’s cooler today and there seems to be enough cool air coming through to keep the bedroom at a good temperature. I haven’t had the air on in the living room today as it has been just cool enough….but only just.
Something I learned today?
I watched a Jerry Grey video about the Chinese ‘police stations’ supposedly around the world and all roads lead back to a Swedish guy who was deported from China (I forget the reason ) who has a grudge. The alleged ‘police stations’ are nothing more than administration offices offering services to Chinese citizens who need documents processed to save them from having to return to China to do it and all the people working in them are not diplomats so they don’t have immunity to local laws. Two people were arrested in New York and as Jerry says it is likely that no crimes will be found to have been committed but there will be no reactions or apologies ever offered and either way it’s just another small piece of propaganda on top of a huge fucking pile that has been building for years.
What’s on my mind right now?
I’m feeling a nervous excitement for the new semester and meeting new students. In some ways, I’m glad that the main classes I taught last year I will only see briefly this semester. I loved them all dearly but they sure did exhaust me testing my patience. I’m wondering if I can disconnect myself a little from my students this year. Connecting in such a way has upsides and downsides. It fills up a reciprocal affection that warms the heart yet devastates at the end of each semester when everyone goes their separate ways.
7th June 2023 – All the flowers in this picture dropped again but now another new lot is blooming. Weird.
1st Apr 2024 – Submitted to Word of the Day Challenge – Fools
1st Jun 2024 – Submitted to FOWC with Fandango
Today I’m feeling:
Happy and tired
Today I’m grateful for:
The stash of Pocky that Amy left here because she couldn’t fit it in her luggage when going back to Australia. Now I can use them as birthday gifts for my students!
The best thing about today was:
I want to say my students but they were probably also the worst thing about today too! They make me laugh and they make me cry.
Goya and Pat gave me friendship bracelets (just pieces of string).
Fah and Boty play jokes on me and Bright always enjoys having jokes played on him.
And of course, they all try to get away with murder when they think I’m not looking.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
The usual group of 1/7 students were late to my class again and I marked them as ‘absent’. I could tell 4 of them were debating whether to just skip class then but decided to stay though they weren’t very happy.
They soon cheered themselves up together though and were very happy when I rewarded them by changing their status to ‘late’ instead of ‘absent’.
They come up with all sorts of bullshit excuses for being late but realise they don’t fly when all the other students are always on time.
The work is so easy too but they don’t put it together that if they just cracked on with it they could finish the class that much sooner. They’ll figure themselves out at some point.
Something I learned today?
I learned that from 1971 until 1989 US-China relations were fairly cooperative except that for the US it was a case of an enemy of my enemy is a friend and the relationship changed again once the Soviet Union fell. It makes me wonder why we have to have enemies?
How can I be more mindful and present in the moment?
I think I need to calm my thoughts a lot more again. My brain is a little overactive recently and I need to stop looking at things like Twitter and YouTube as much as I do. It’s too easy to get wound up by the stupidities of the world when in actuality things are quite sedate around my own life.
1994ever 