[Pakse, Laos on 6/20/23] “It began in the midst of children’s laughter, with their laughter it will end.”—Rimbaud On my last day in Pakse, I had to go to the bank, so I walked by Ban Thong Elementary School during the recess. There is nothing more delightful than watching children playing.
I just caught a very serious formatting screwup at the end of the story. I thought I had proofed it pretty well, but somehow that happened. It is corrected.
Also, there is now war propaganda everywhere. Embargo and sanctions against Russia, plus support of NATO against Russia, are a given. But the war propaganda against China is unbelievable now. I am telling you, this shit is real. The Chinese in Japan are facing hatred, bullying, and exclusion. Also, Taiwan is its own country here in Japan. This adds fuel to the fire. The government uses the retard badges to mark the good Japanese from the evil foreigners, which are mostly other Asians. Can you imagine a schoolyard or a restaurant where a group of young Chinese walks in maskless? The Japanese believe that the maskless foreigners will kill Japanese babies and grandparents with their deadly Wuhan-Virus! Needless to say, NOTHING gets reported. Massive police presence in Ikebukuro and Okuba (Chinatown) districts. And in Yokahama Chinatown.
Good morning, Linh. Lately, I find myself eagerly looking forward to e-mail notifying me of your latest musings. Your posting is wonderful - contrasting innocence, horror, beauty, comedy, and hubris of life. Many thanks.
I've been to Taiwan at least a dozen times, for a month or two at a shot. Even on my very first trip, I saw that many people (but by no means all of them) routinely wear masks. In part I suspect this was due to poor air quality--there were noticeable odors of diesel and a lot of dust when I got off the plane in Taipei, and it was bad enough to make my eyes water. Part of this is due to poor air quality being carried over from mainland China on occasion by the weather, but I think at least part of it was of local origin.
I never masked up myself, although my (Taiwanese) wife always did, whenever we were out in public. There were plenty of unmasked people, and I never attracted any hostile glances or felt any kind of social pressure to mask up.
But my last visit was in late 2019, just prior to the COVID hysteria. Although air quality has greatly improved and was quite decent for my entire two month stay, the mask habit I had always observed persisted. I can't say how COVID has affected the mask-wearing convention, but I'd be willing to bet that virtually everyone masks up in the city now.
Linh--Great story, so many things trigger young memories of my own, although in different contexts, of course.
Over the years I have seen a few variations on one of the lines in the story: "If you go far enough west you will end up where you started and it will be yesterday." Every time my thought is steered in this direction, I remember a classic sci-fi story I read as a teen, "The Astounding Discoveries of Doctor Mentiroso", where he actually tries to do this. The story was already a classic when I first read it in the 60s, having been written in 1927. It is amazing because you know what he is describing can't work, but it takes a bit of figuring to work out why.
Thanks again for making me ask "who am I", and know I will come up short. Maybe, as you present, or, as I can perceive from your presentation, we are a patchwork of pieces of experience never really seeing the whole tapestry. The pieces you show are different and strangely familiar, I am glad someone has the skill to share these glimses of our shared humanity.
In Paske... do those school kids wear masks? In Tokyo, they do. Things got wild. It's been 3 1/2 years now. Soon, they will bully, torture and prosecute foreigners who, of course, refuse to wear the retard badges and thus expose the Japanese retards as retards, which is what they are. Gaslighting is everywhere. Linh Dinh told me that "the Japanese always wore masks, even before the pandemic". Which means that all movies, tv, fotos, and documentaries of Japan before the pandemic are fake, and indeed out memories and experiences were fake too. This works best on the retard children of those retards, who are told by the heinous teachers that "We always wore masks in Japan! Ask your retarded parents and grandparents!" And would you know it, those parents and grandparents confirm this obvious lie. In other words, this nation is finished. You better believe it. This is BIG.
You're getting sloppy, man! I did not say, "The Japanese always wore masks." I said, "Even before Covid, many Japanese wore masks, which I thought ridiculous."
Listen, Thorsten, you live in Japan, so what's happening there is very close to your heart. You're getting very heated. I just finished an article that has nothing to do with Japan, and my very brief comment about Japan after my last piece was only in response to you, and not meant as some probe into Japan. Please, if you will, address what's in my piece above. You can talk about Japan at your own SubStack...--Linh
I can confirm that there are still people wearing retard badges here in Vancouver BC. Mostly older people and Asians, but I have noted some younger west coast hipster types as well. Amusingly, these men wear them over their thick beards.
Masks are totally out of style here in Miami. Very very rare to see now.
Even "mask man" - ultra hypochondriac dude in my building, who even 6 months ago was still wearing face diaper, rubber gloves, and safety goggles at all times - has given up and gone back to normal life.
I saw the first face shield in a year on the plane coming to Canada.
Good to hear that trend in Miami. People still wear them in cars and walking around in the street here in Vancouver. Granted it isn't very common, but still noticeable.
Speaking of wearing masks, my hairdresser who is from maybe Vietnam or one of the countries in the Orient, always (she didn't used to before Covid) wears a mask. All her customers now don't wear them. Hardly anyone anymore in this area (north California Bay area) wears masks now. I don't know why she continues to wear a mask, but I hesitate to ask her. (I don't want to ask a personal question that might be offensive.) I have read that masks are very bad for the wearer's health--breathing in carbon dioxide and other bad stuff from the wearer's outbreathing.
Hi everyone,
I just caught a very serious formatting screwup at the end of the story. I thought I had proofed it pretty well, but somehow that happened. It is corrected.
Sorry about that. Senility is settling in...
Linh
Huh. I just read it still, I think. Repetition of the fight scene. Love that story and delighted by the bow photos.
Also, there is now war propaganda everywhere. Embargo and sanctions against Russia, plus support of NATO against Russia, are a given. But the war propaganda against China is unbelievable now. I am telling you, this shit is real. The Chinese in Japan are facing hatred, bullying, and exclusion. Also, Taiwan is its own country here in Japan. This adds fuel to the fire. The government uses the retard badges to mark the good Japanese from the evil foreigners, which are mostly other Asians. Can you imagine a schoolyard or a restaurant where a group of young Chinese walks in maskless? The Japanese believe that the maskless foreigners will kill Japanese babies and grandparents with their deadly Wuhan-Virus! Needless to say, NOTHING gets reported. Massive police presence in Ikebukuro and Okuba (Chinatown) districts. And in Yokahama Chinatown.
Hilarious! That made my day! Bless!
Good morning, Linh. Lately, I find myself eagerly looking forward to e-mail notifying me of your latest musings. Your posting is wonderful - contrasting innocence, horror, beauty, comedy, and hubris of life. Many thanks.
I've been to Taiwan at least a dozen times, for a month or two at a shot. Even on my very first trip, I saw that many people (but by no means all of them) routinely wear masks. In part I suspect this was due to poor air quality--there were noticeable odors of diesel and a lot of dust when I got off the plane in Taipei, and it was bad enough to make my eyes water. Part of this is due to poor air quality being carried over from mainland China on occasion by the weather, but I think at least part of it was of local origin.
I never masked up myself, although my (Taiwanese) wife always did, whenever we were out in public. There were plenty of unmasked people, and I never attracted any hostile glances or felt any kind of social pressure to mask up.
But my last visit was in late 2019, just prior to the COVID hysteria. Although air quality has greatly improved and was quite decent for my entire two month stay, the mask habit I had always observed persisted. I can't say how COVID has affected the mask-wearing convention, but I'd be willing to bet that virtually everyone masks up in the city now.
Linh--thanks for the short story!
Wait. The Bee Gees are better than the Beatles??!
If you ever go into a Catholic Church again you need to repent this sin.
10 Hail Lennons and McCartneys
" We're living through unbelievable madness. "
Ain't that the truth! 1000%.
Linh--Great story, so many things trigger young memories of my own, although in different contexts, of course.
Over the years I have seen a few variations on one of the lines in the story: "If you go far enough west you will end up where you started and it will be yesterday." Every time my thought is steered in this direction, I remember a classic sci-fi story I read as a teen, "The Astounding Discoveries of Doctor Mentiroso", where he actually tries to do this. The story was already a classic when I first read it in the 60s, having been written in 1927. It is amazing because you know what he is describing can't work, but it takes a bit of figuring to work out why.
I found it on line at https://www.freeread.com.au/@RGLibrary/AHVerrill/ShortSF/DoctorMentiroso.html for whoever is interested.
wonderful natural writing
Thanks again for making me ask "who am I", and know I will come up short. Maybe, as you present, or, as I can perceive from your presentation, we are a patchwork of pieces of experience never really seeing the whole tapestry. The pieces you show are different and strangely familiar, I am glad someone has the skill to share these glimses of our shared humanity.
In Paske... do those school kids wear masks? In Tokyo, they do. Things got wild. It's been 3 1/2 years now. Soon, they will bully, torture and prosecute foreigners who, of course, refuse to wear the retard badges and thus expose the Japanese retards as retards, which is what they are. Gaslighting is everywhere. Linh Dinh told me that "the Japanese always wore masks, even before the pandemic". Which means that all movies, tv, fotos, and documentaries of Japan before the pandemic are fake, and indeed out memories and experiences were fake too. This works best on the retard children of those retards, who are told by the heinous teachers that "We always wore masks in Japan! Ask your retarded parents and grandparents!" And would you know it, those parents and grandparents confirm this obvious lie. In other words, this nation is finished. You better believe it. This is BIG.
Hi Thorsten,
You're getting sloppy, man! I did not say, "The Japanese always wore masks." I said, "Even before Covid, many Japanese wore masks, which I thought ridiculous."
Huge difference between those statements.
Linh
What is many, Linh? 20 million, out of 126 million?
Listen, Thorsten, you live in Japan, so what's happening there is very close to your heart. You're getting very heated. I just finished an article that has nothing to do with Japan, and my very brief comment about Japan after my last piece was only in response to you, and not meant as some probe into Japan. Please, if you will, address what's in my piece above. You can talk about Japan at your own SubStack...--Linh
Just leaving comments, to boost the algorithms. No trolling intended.
I feel your pain and frustration, man. We're living through unbelievable madness. I'm lucky to be in Laos.--Linh
P.S. By giving Zelensky weapons, Japan is cursing itself further.
Thanks. Yes, it is madness. Stay strong. T
I can confirm that there are still people wearing retard badges here in Vancouver BC. Mostly older people and Asians, but I have noted some younger west coast hipster types as well. Amusingly, these men wear them over their thick beards.
Masks are totally out of style here in Miami. Very very rare to see now.
Even "mask man" - ultra hypochondriac dude in my building, who even 6 months ago was still wearing face diaper, rubber gloves, and safety goggles at all times - has given up and gone back to normal life.
I saw the first face shield in a year on the plane coming to Canada.
Good to hear that trend in Miami. People still wear them in cars and walking around in the street here in Vancouver. Granted it isn't very common, but still noticeable.
Speaking of wearing masks, my hairdresser who is from maybe Vietnam or one of the countries in the Orient, always (she didn't used to before Covid) wears a mask. All her customers now don't wear them. Hardly anyone anymore in this area (north California Bay area) wears masks now. I don't know why she continues to wear a mask, but I hesitate to ask her. (I don't want to ask a personal question that might be offensive.) I have read that masks are very bad for the wearer's health--breathing in carbon dioxide and other bad stuff from the wearer's outbreathing.