Showing 1-10 of 281 results
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Getting Food at Bangkok Malls in 2021
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/08/2021
» On Sunday, the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced 29 provinces as dark red zones, up from the previous 13, along with strict measures to control the spread. Bangkok is, of course, a dark red zone and most of the prohibitions and temporary closures of certain venues are understandable. One prohibition, in particular, at the time of going to print has left me (and many others) scratching their heads.
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Braving Bangkok Buses
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 19/08/2016
» Salmon House's recent satirical video about Bangkok public buses reached viral status quickly with nearly one million views in less than two weeks. In it, a female bus conductor gives safety instructions -- à la flight attendant -- while mocking the common inconveniences bus passengers face with funny exaggeration.
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Driving Test: Bangkok Edition
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 14/10/2016
» In a bid to make the roads safer, the Department of Land Transport recently announced a plan to raise the pass mark from 90% to 100% on the multiple-choice driving exam. Soon you'll have to answer all 50 questions correctly to obtain a driving licence. Of course, people can appear responsible on paper but they can actually, in real life, be jerks on the road. But if that extra 10% somehow makes the roads 1% safer, don't you think it's worth our collective effort to strive for full marks? This new requirement is expected to be in effect next year so, in the meantime, you can take my very own driving exam to find out how responsible a driver you can be (or whether you should never be allowed on Bangkok's roads, for the sake of everyone else).
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What's in a (soi) name?
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/06/2022
» At the front of practically every soi in Bangkok, you'll notice a pole with a blue sign with white letters at the top proclaiming its name. However, if you look closer you may find many sois in Thailand can brighten your day with their curious names. Here are a few for your entertainment.
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Thai-Style Xmas
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/12/2021
» Despite the fact that a majority of the Thai population claim to be Buddhists, they go all out to celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday every year. Even though they may not be aware that it's his birthday and Xmas isn't even an official holiday despite all the lights and Christmas trees that pop up across the country. I've gone down Bangkok Post's archive (Xmas pun intended) to present a few quirky and local twists on the worldwide holiday. While they may not be unique to Thailand, they are definitely memorable. Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Dealing With A Covid-19 Side Effect
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 22/01/2021
» One side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic that you may have overlooked (besides amassing a vast collection of hand sanitisers and exposing govt inefficiency -- kapow!) is more waste, especially plastic. Inevitably, it is exacerbated by our appetite for food delivery while we're WFH during this quasi-lockdown. The first wave saw an increase of plastic waste by 60% in Bangkok due to the higher demand for food delivery as estimated by Thailand Environment Institute in May last year. Thailand Research Development Insitute also claimed that one such order can contain up to seven pieces of plastic waste (so opt-out of utensils when you order please).
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How to Name Your Car Like You're One of the 0.1%
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 19/02/2021
» The 0.1% of Thais (not 1% 'cause Thailand has the highest wealth inequality in the world, you see) may rejoice at the recent news that soon you can pay an extra fee to give your vehicle a real name on a licence plate instead of the two-alphabets-and-numerals combo the 99.9% are familiar with. The new rules will allow a combination of more than two alphabets, vowels, tone marks and numbers in a vehicle registration plate for a personal car with no more than seven seats. In short, you can name your car after you or give it a person's name. For example, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha can name his "ประยุทธ์ 2 กรุงเทพมหานคร (Prayut 2 Bangkok)" to commemorate his second term. The plan is expected to be implemented around the middle of this year and you can bid for such a plate with starting price of B1 million. Money raised this way will be spent to improve road safety.
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Goodbye (It's Never Really Goodbye)
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 30/09/2022
» At the risk of sounding cliché, I have good and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?
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Subject(s) (That) Matter
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/01/2020
» Two things that recently happened made me wonder about the definition of education in Thailand. First, a uni professor in Phitsanulok drafted a new course called "My Beloved Country" but the board rejected it, saying its purpose isn't in line with that of a general education course. The professor said his subject encourages students to "understand and appreciate their own values, as well as values of others, society, culture and nature". It sounds fine and dandy until you see his list of 18 guest lecturers consisting of controversial figures, some of whom are seen as aligning themselves with the government. So, if you disagree with them, would you be considered disloyal to Thailand or something? Second, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all schools under BMA to have their students sing the royal anthem after they sing the national anthem before classes every morning to remind them of Thailand's three pillars -- nation, religion and monarchy -- which I humbly think the kids are reminded of plenty already.
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Thailand's kookiest competitions
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 22/07/2022
» Every country has its own share of kooky competitions, and that's also true for Thailand. From the search for a Guanyin avatar to the Peta-would-surely-disapprove swimming competition, here are a few for your entertainment.
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