• OPINION

  School system still full of oppression

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 13/07/2020

  » If a student's hair could talk, every single strand would probably ask: "Why are you so obsessed with me?" in its best Regina George impression.

• OPINION

  Will we learn from the pandemic?

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 04/05/2020

  » I don't think any of us could have anticipated that we would be where we are now. A year ago, or even months ago, nobody would have thought it possible for a modern society like ours to be hit by a pandemic on a level that seemed to exist only in the long-gone past and in movies. Panic buying. Toilet paper hoarding. Convenience stores no longer open 24/7. People ordering hair clippers online to cut their own hair. Face masks becoming a necessary entry pass for most public venues. They're now normal. A new normal, so to speak. Life has surely changed a lot.

• OPINION

  Humanity vs nature

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 16/12/2019

  » 'Let's go to Khao Yai," a friend recently suggested via text. Along with her invitation, she attached a picture of a woman sitting amid beautiful flowers, clouded with faded hipster filter. It was an online review saying a blossoming garden in a Khao Yai resort was now open to all visitors for free. The sight of the gorgeous winter flowers drew me in. I said yes.

• OPINION

  Human cruelty for a false belief

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 07/10/2019

  » Would you pay to set something free? A poor, small creature locked away in confinement perhaps? From behind bars, its eyes meet yours as if to say: "Save me." So delicate. So pitiful. And if you do nothing, who knows what's going to happen to it? You take your wallet out. Hand over a few bills to the seller, who has handful of cages on him. And soon you let it go. Be it bird, fish, turtle or other. Fly free. Swim free.

• OPINION

  The eyes can lie

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 05/08/2019

  » Thai people are considerably kind. We like making merit to help unfortunate souls. And especially in an era when everyone can easily connect through social media, the ways of merit-making have changed and expanded even further. From previously making physical donations at temples and charities, people now reach out to help individuals -- many times a stranger -- they see online. Pictures of sick dogs, cats, humans, or even a call for blood donations appear on our Facebook feeds often on a weekly basis. The plea for help -- coupled with touching stories and photos -- always tugs at our heartstrings. And it doesn't take long for many of us to lend a helping hand, mostly through making a swift donation to help with the cause.

• OPINION

  Life, rerouted

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 03/06/2019

  » When news came that a bridge outside my office would be undergoing construction for two years, I died a little on the inside.

• OPINION

  Open letter on inclusivity

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 11/03/2019

  » How would you like your ice cream? Do you like it with cherry on top? Or whipped cream?

• OPINION

  Teach your children well

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 15/10/2018

  » What would you do if you find out your children were hurting others? Or kicking the helpless? Or pulling hair? And the victim was crying while your children were laughing?

• OPINION

  Focus, everybody

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 30/07/2018

  » Every day is a new day. And every new day brings new drama, scandal and gossip to this controversy-addicted nation.

• OPINION

  The country is a tangled-up mess

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 14/05/2018

  » What's the end result of negligence, of carelessness? What's the cost of not doing one's job properly?

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