Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Reality check
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 10/09/2021
» The malls are crowded again. The streets are lined with traffic. There seems to be more people (and motorcycles) on the sidewalk. Your eyes do not deceive you: the City of Angels has come back to life -- or at least slightly. Certain venues like fitness centres and theatres remain closed (sorry, Marvel fans hoping to watch Shang-Chi) but the city's ever-favoured shopping malls have returned and dining-in at restaurants is possible again, albeit in limited capacity. Does this bode well for Bangkokians? Should we expect the worst? Despite the relief we feel of finally being let out of our houses, are there still challenges? Guru speaks to people of different professions to gauge their opinions.
Art against authority
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 16/07/2021
» We can all agree on one thing: this whole pandemic is a crapfest. The time when Thailand was lauded for successfully handling the first wave has long gone and we are in the throes of the third wave with daily cases almost hitting 10,000 (at least in the time of going to print), hospitals running out of beds for patients and vaccinations going at a snail's pace. The anger and fury directed at the government's handling of the third wave has reached boiling point and none are more vocal about it than political artists, who have found a home, voice and audience on Facebook. From tarot cards to 3D renders, here are a few artists who use their art to make their voices heard.
The new normal
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 22/05/2020
» The curfew has been shortened. The booze ban has been lifted. Malls have reopened and so have restaurants. Bangkok is going back to normal! Or is it? As citywide measures start to ease up, Guru checks out what has changed in this city of ours. Welcome to Bangkok's new normal.
The 2020 Guru awards
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 31/01/2020
» We know it's the last day of January -- and if you weren't aware, it's February tomorrow -- but as a tweet said, we'll consider January the free-trial period and start 2020 properly on the first day of February. A bunch of stuff has already happened, not all of them good, but before we move ahead and put the past behind us, Guru would like to take one last look at the year that was. "The Guru Awards" have been held for the past two years but so much has happened that we decided it would be best to do a full feature in 2019 instead of just a few paragraphs in the Editor's Note. Seeing that the Academy Awards are also coming up, we couldn't think of a better time to give out our snarky, passive-aggressive accolades. So, ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to welcome you the 2020 Guru Awards -- no monologues, no opening numbers from Neil Patrick Harris. Just pure unadulterated cynicism.
The Thailand Files
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 02/08/2019
» Everyone loves a good conspiracy. There's something deliciously entertaining about the possibility that something could be true and we could spend hours and hours just reading and watching documentaries about the numerous conspiracies out there. Of course, there are others who are at the far, far end of the spectrum, who believe all conspiracies and consider themselves "truthers". Get stuck in a room or a car with these guys and they'll go on and on about how mobile phones are brainwashing you, the CIA knows your every move and how the Illuminati controls the world. Of course, there are also those simply want to have harmless fun like, you know, the nearly 2 million people, as of the writing of this article, who want to storm a certain top secret US government facility on Sept 20, as well as the lesser popular plan to storm Bangkok's Democracy Monument, which would have passed by the time this is published and will most likely involve less aliens. Nevertheless, don't think for one second that Thailand is spared from conspiracies! We've got a few right here. Remember, as a great TV show once said, "The truth is out there".
Just a couple of foodies
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 09/02/2018
» It's that time of the year when couples come out in full-force, restaurants are jampacked, roses and chocolates are more expensive, and single people are more bitter than usual. Yes, St Valentine's Day is upon us and that means couples all over the place. We could have just given you a list of places you could go to for a special dinner (actually, we did -- check our Food listings). But in lieu of the upcoming "festivities", if you could call it that, we decided to round up a number of foodie power couples to get to know their favourite restos and what they do during on this romantic day. Perhaps we noobs could learn a thing or two from them.
Grownup playgrounds
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 03/11/2017
» Let's all be honest for a second. This is a safe space. No one's judging anyone. Let's all admit this: when we look at kids' playgrounds, we adults also want in on the action. Who doesn't want to ride down that awesome tube slide? Or get lost in a sea of plastic balls? Or crawl into one of those tunnels? But hey, adults aren't allowed in kids' playgrounds because that's not what grownups are supposed to do -- and yes, the playground would probably not be able to handle an adult's weight. While we do agree that we as grownups shouldn't go playing in kiddie playgrounds, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have playgrounds of our own. This week, we've compiled a number of adult playgrounds (not the kind you're thinking) that we grownups can go to for a bit of fun and excitement.