Tuesday, April 6, 2021

June 11th (2020)

 

June 11th
88 days here.

According to one nameless source Cambodia aims to screw unfortunate visitors as hard as it can.

 "a foreigner must pay $5 for a single trip between airport and waiting center, $100 for a COVID-19 test, $30 a day for staying at a hotel or at a waiting center to wait for the test result, and $30 a day for three meals."

This is not the way to bring back missing tourists. Westerners, penalised already by Covid 19, will be looking to countries closer to home for their vacations and boycotting those countries now aiming to rip them off. Sorry Far East your time has come and gone. You got too greedy.

According to Piccywedia..

"Number 88 symbolizes fortune and good luck in Chinese culture, since the word 8 sounds similar to the word fā (發, which implies 發財, or wealth, in Mandarin or Cantonese). The number 8 is considered to be the luckiest number in Chinese culture."

Rip Van Winkle may have been a Lucky man according to William Jerome (1901), and Jim also deemed to be 'lucky' according to Kingsley Amis (1954) however today is my 88th day here in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It neither feels lucky nor unlucky. It is a day. I had to check (on this hand phone) which day. It is Thursday, apparently.

According to etymonline.com

"Luck

c. 1500, "fortune good or bad, what happens to one by chance (conceived as being favorable or not); good luck, quality of having a tendency to receive desired or beneficial outcomes," not found in Old English, probably from early Middle Dutch luc, shortening of gheluc "happiness, good fortune," a word of unknown origin. It has cognates in Modern Dutch geluk, Middle High German g(e)lücke, German Glück "fortune, good luck."

Do we believe in luck, fate, fortune or Kharma? Is life simply a mixture of actions and reactions, perceived to be good or bad according to which way we view our personal interactions, good in bad, bad in good like Daoist Yin Yang? Hmmm that's a bit karmic.

A bit of rumination…

The times that we live in are somewhat confusing to some people. There is an irony in a young man of Chinese descent, from Singapore, who dresses not in traditional Chinese costume, has adopted a Western name and/or religion, using not Weibay but Facebook, making claims that a photograph depicting Chinese looking people representing Western paintings is somehow belittling Chinese Culture. This is in a world where many are trying to overcome the dominance of Western culture over world art.

The photograph in question, is one of a series of images where Chinese looking models replace painted naked Westerners in classic paintings in Pan Yue's series of photographs, which includes a retelling of Manet's 'The Everlasting Mystery of Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe'.Today’s spend

Common Grounds…...Build your own breakfast and a large Flat White…$10.50 (ooops)

Thai Huot Market…..Milk Soft Bread; B.M Gelee Cassis; Dove Shampoo with White Tea; Dasani Water x 2; Globemilk Whole Milk, Dutchie Corn Beans Yogurt x4 (half price); 250g Mild Cheddar Cheese……$15.86
Total spend….$26.36


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