It is to be broken. It is to be
torn open. It is not to be
reached and come to rest in
ever. I turn against you,
I break from you, I turn to you.
We hurt, and are hurt,
and have each other for healing.
It is healing. It is never whole.
- Wendell Berry Read more…
vote for me. i have power and money.
wear a sad i am lost and angry face. in public.
life screwed me.
i had no chance.
well i did but i didn't know what to do with it
so, i succumbed to my family and social
lack of inner strength and self determination.
my secret name is passive, beauty and gratitude.
i am a character in an asian play.
After they cut out my tongue I started writing script.
I found a compressed black Chinese ink stick with yellow dragons breathing fire. I added a little water to a grey stone surface and placed the ink in the center.
Then, using my right hand, as Master Liu in Chengdu showed me, I turned the stick in a clockwise motion. Black ink ebbed into liquid as a drop of water rippled a pond.
After collecting ink I picked up my long heavy brown brush. Pure white hair. After soaking it in water for three minutes to relax it’s inner tension I spread out thin delicate paper.
I placed my right foot at an angle, left foot straight, my left palm flat on the table with fingers spread. I dipped the brush in the recessed part of the stone to absorb ink then slowly dragged it along an edge removing excess.
I savored the weight and heft. My brush has it own personality and character.
There are at least 5,000 characters in my written language. I have much to learn and a long way to travel with this unknowing truth.
I sat up straight, took three deep breaths and exhaled far out into emptiness.
I centered my unconscious on the paper filled with nothing.
My wisdom mind of intent became water. It was quiet, calm and still with concentration and focus.
I listened to brush, ink and paper. I am a conduit.
Be the brush, be the ink, be the water, be the paper.
Each essence is pure, free, clear and luminous.
Welcome to The Ministry of Tourism in Kampot.
It's near The Ministry of Fear and The Ministry of Truth.
You can't miss it.
It's next to The Genocide Museum. S-21.
2,000,000 skulls are waiting for you.
They are delighted to have company in their silent vigil.
Colonial French buildings will delight your memory of commercial conquest.
It's all a facade.
Kampot is a sleepy little southern river town.
It is famous for pepper. Pass the sneeze please.
Quack-quack.
Hold hands. Relationships are precious. Life is short.
Let's have a look-see.
Good afternoon students. My name is Mr. ON.
It rhymes with song gong, long gone.
It is 17:10 p.m. If it was 18:01 p.m., I would say good evening, however it is still afternoon. It is late in life. Class meets twice a week for two hours. Show up on time, do your assignments and stay awake. Nothing more. Nothing less. Simple English is good.
We are gathered here today in the glorious Chinese Communist Party Peoples’ Appliance Factory #8 to begin our simple English lessons. Your supervisor informs me you are here by choice and chance. You have the choice. This is your chance. Am I clear? Do you understand me? Choice and chance.
Now. I know. Most of you have been working in the factory since dawn. It is the end of another long mind numbing grueling tedious day down on the killing floor. English has brought us together. You face unique and amazing challenges to acquire a foreign language. To use said target language with meaning. To maybe baby become fluent. It will require your undivided attention, focus and electrical energy.
You will practice speaking, reading, listening and writing. These are the four basic skills.
Output: Writing and speaking are active.
Input: Reading and listening are passive.
Learning is a never-ending process. Many of you will die before it’s complete.
Learning occurs in the context of task-based activities. In other words you learn by doing. You do and you understand, as we say, said, did, done.
We will cover, in exhaustive detail, four important appliances and their English A/C-D/C lets see connections. They are: washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens.
These machines are now essential in everyone’s life. You know this because it is your job to put them together. It’s like English. Putting words together makes a phrase. A short, simple sentence. Some have meaning and some are gibberish. Many words are composites of useless idiomatic semantic syntax that is not the same as income tax however both are expensive.
Write this down.
English in. English out.
Open your head, heart and mouth. Eat English.
Please open your creative notebook. Using a simple writing tool like a pen or #2, get the lead out fast pencil I want you to consider the following questions. Answer them using basic English.
How did I get here? ______
Why am I here? _____
Am I a machine? _______
Am I a tool of the factory? _______
What is my motivation to learn English? (Secret answer - MONEY)
No money, no honey.
Here’s the equation. No English = no job. No job = no money. No money = no food = starvation.
Your supervisor has instructed me to motivate you. She expects me to motivate you to arrive on time, complete the assigned tasks, and pass the exams. Her management style ordered me to use fear as a form of discipline with you.
We are all well aware how the power and threat of fear motivates humans in our society. If I fail to motivate and pass you I will be executed. Survival is my fear-based motivation. You WILL pass because my little short life depends on it.
Fear is a funny word.
Fear of starvation. Fear of poverty. Fear of losing face. Fear of failure. Fear of humiliation or shame. Fear of not meeting family expectations. Fear of speaking in public.
Fear of ______ (free choice).
Thank you for your short attention span. Next lesson we will discuss parts and functions of a washing machine cycle with elocution about a Turkish woman using sharp word shears down on her killing floor.
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