Showing 1 - 10 of 20
Going traditional at Songkran
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 16/04/2018
» Over two years ago, I wrote about my contentment with a new trend in which a number of Thais wear traditional costumes in everyday life. Today, I feel happier since so many Thai people opt for traditional outfits and the style is even recognised and promoted by the government. I must note this was ignited by the craze for the periodical TV series Bupphesanniwat (Love Destiny), which was about the time journey of an archaeologist to the reign of Ayutthaya's King Narai the Great over 300 years ago.
Empathy and difficult choices
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 17/04/2017
» That skinny woman clad in a sari carrying an infant in her arms waited for me in front of the bus door. A few small children wearing dirty torn clothes gathered around my legs looking up at me. Like robots, they repeatedly uttered words "Sawasdee, Maharanee [meaning a queen]. Khob khun kha", begging me to give them money. These sights and sounds were common at all pilgrimage sites in India I visited recently. Initially, I felt pity for them until I asked the guide and friends if I should give them money. They warned me against more beggars' arrivals.
Do not feed the monkeys
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 19/09/2016
» Since my childhood, I have loved all kinds of animals except snakes, rats and cockroaches. I have had several dogs and a cat as pets. I was bitten once by a temple cat, once by my own cat and several times by my dogs because I accidentally frightened them. However, the weirdest experience was being bitten by a monkey on Khao Wang, or Phra Nakhon Khiri, a mountain palace museum in Phetchaburi, over a year ago. When I was a teenager, I was once surrounded by monkeys who tried to steal my handbag at Phra Kan Shrine in Lop Buri.
Flagging up respect for the nation
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 15/02/2016
» Sometimes, our daily routine turns out to be an extraordinary thing for other people. So is the Thai people's daily practice to stand still and respect the national flag twice a day. Thai students must stand in front of the raised flag and sing the national anthem at 8am sharp every day. Whenever we hear the national anthem in public places, especially outdoors, we stop walking or doing other things and stand still to show our respect.
Angel delight is a passing fad
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 28/01/2016
» Angel child dolls, or luk thep in Thai, have become widely known since the middle of last year and increasingly popular, especially among those in the entertainment business who believe the dolls bring them good fortune. The trend for luk thep -- dolls with added spirits of angels that are believed to have the power to fulfill the wishes of their owners -- has become a centre of criticism since a number of owners treat their dolls as if they are real infants in public.
For biosafety or business?
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 27/11/2015
» Questions about food safety and stability in Thailand have arisen after the Cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft law on biosafety to legalise and regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If endorsed by the National Legislative Assembly, this draft will become effective a year after being published in the Royal Gazette.
Debunking myth, retelling history
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 28/10/2015
» History or patriotic myth? When I first heard of a new book, The Thai History, I thought of nothing but another government effort to build a sense of nationalism among Thais. The 208-page book was written by the Fine Arts Department and launched last Thursday at the National Book Fair.
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.
Stressed? You're having a laugh
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 25/08/2015
» A few months ago, I read a funny post on Facebook about laughing on social media in different languages. Thais prefer "55555" while the Japanese type "www", which is derived from the word "warai". Korean people write "kkkkk", the Spanish "jajaja" and the Portuguese "huehuehue" or "rsrsrsrs". For people in Denmark and Iceland, they use "ha ha, hi hi, hae hae, ho ho, ti hi" while Russians use "haha xaxa, hihi xnxn, hehe xexe" and it is "xa xa xa" in Hebrew. Interestingly, French people laugh "hahaha, héhéhé, hihihi, hohoho" or "MDR" (mort de rire) meaning "dying of laughter".
Slaying the beast of human-elephant conflict
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 23/07/2015
» A Thai proverb says, "You can't hide a dead elephant with a lotus leaf". This means a guilty conscience needs no accuser. It is absolutely true. The consequences of last week's brutal killing of a family of three wild elephants at a meditation centre in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan, prove the rule of karma does exist. The tragic deaths made headlines and raised public concerns. Officials later found the three pachyderms were electrocuted. An employee of the meditation centre was finally arrested for erecting the electrified fence that killed the elephants. He was charged with hunting protected animals and faces up to four years imprisonment and a 40,000 baht fine under the Wildlife Conservation Act if found guilty.