Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Friend, unfriend, tolerate, obliterate
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 17/07/2017
» Social-network users have many reasons to hide, block and unfriend their friends and followers. Since its establishment in 2004, Facebook has rapidly increased users from a few friends of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to 2 billion monthly active users in June 2017.
Roads are a dammed hindrance
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 25/09/2015
» Earlier this month, I visited the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm and Training Centre in Saraburi province and heard some terrible news. A guide told me that the farm's Burmese Rosewood (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) forest, home to over 10,000 naturally grown trees would soon be gone as it has been marked for land expropriation under a motorway project.
Our ageing society is on creaky foundations
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 19/06/2015
» My increasing grey hair and fine lines and referring to the young generation as "people these days" are among signs that I am ageing. Although I have long admitted I am old and must prepare myself for a lonely retirement, I am not quite ready for it and the latest news made me feel pessimistic about the future.
Travelling towards neighbourly understanding
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 06/03/2015
» In December, I expressed concerns about the bad reputation of Chinese tourists in Thailand and other countries. Unfortunately, problems caused by them have persisted and many Thais have started to react. Last month, Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai imposed a temporary ban on Chinese tourists after some of them dirtied the temple's toilets. Days later, a picture showed a Chinese tourist kicking sacred bells at a temple in Chiang Mai. Many Thais were understandably outraged.
Age is more than a number
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 02/05/2014
» Many say that age is just a number. Yet, such numbers can hurt you if your physical and psychological health has become poor and does not allow you to live as happily as before. My deteriorating memory, my excuses about being “a senior” and my referring to the young generation as “people these days” are among the signs of ageing. These “ageing indicators” and my increasingly grey hair make me admit I am already old and must by now prepare myself to ensure my well-being after retirement.
Fuming over first-car scheme
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 27/12/2012
» The worst is yet to come for Bangkok's traffic. Over the past few months, I have spent twice as much time as before stuck in traffic jams. Although I am not an expert, I believe this has something to do with the government's first-car scheme. The programme allows new car buyers to claim tax rebates of up to 100,000 baht per vehicle per person. Since its inception, more than one million new vehicles have been purchased, or about 30,000 new cars a day. By the end of this year, the number of the "first cars" is likely to exceed 1.2 million.