Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Bangkok's secret weapon in war against floods
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/10/2017
» When the torrential rains of Oct 13 caused heavy flooding in Bangkok, several parts of the city were swamped, including Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park in Sam Yan. However, as the park slowly filled with water, Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the landscape architect who designed the project, remained unconcerned. She even expressed her satisfaction in a Facebook post that the park had finally delivered on one of its purposes -- the detention of flood water.
Books prove resilient to technology
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 27/03/2017
» Over a decade ago, some pundits made the prediction that books would eventually disappear. Now it seems that books are not on the extinction list, ready for the "guillotine" of the disruptive technology of the digital media and the internet of things.
Soaps and sensibility
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/03/2017
» I have never watched Plerng Phra Nang (A Lady's Flame), a prime-time soap opera on Thai television that depicts a bloody dynastic power struggle in a fictional kingdom. The series -- with elaborate period costumes and a lot of face-slapping and cat-fights among royal consorts -- has received bad press in Myanmar and Thailand alike.
Books of secrets
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/11/2016
» Pintima Lertsomboon, a librarian at Thammasat University, remembered trying to work on Oct 14 in order to soothe the bereavement brought by news of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol. Her task as librarian usually offers her peace of mind. She has been tasked to separate the cremation books out of 10,000 rare books in the library, putting them in their own category.
Book smart
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/04/2016
» Consumer spending has dampened. Popular annual trade and sales events -- such as the Bangkok International Motor Show, which ended last week -- have uncharacteristically experienced lukewarm responses. Yet organisers of the National Book Fair, just ended, have reason to celebrate, as bookworms swarmed the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre over the past two weeks. It seems that despite the economic downturn and limitless entertainment options, people still buy books.
Death becomes us all
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/01/2016
» The year began with grim news in the entertainment industry. For fans of Western pop culture, the unexpected death of David Bowie shocked the entire world. Just a few days later, fans of the Harry Potter movies were stunned by the death of British actor Alan Rickman, who played the role of the series' most complex character, Severus Snape, a role that fortified Rickman's acting repertoire.
The reading feast
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/07/2015
» Bangkok never gets enough of book-related happenings. Set aside the National Book Fair and Bangkok International Book Fair in April and Bangkok Book Expo in October, the capital is about to have another book event, the Bangkok Book Festival 2015, which claims to be not just another commercial affair.
Reading landscapes
Muse, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/07/2015
» Every designer, regardless of his or her fame and profile, will usually have a design project that raises eyebrows and defies the norm. For Kotchakorn Voraakhom, a 33-year-old landscape architect, it was her idea to paint more colours in a humdrum swimming pool that did just that. This was a facility for blind students at the Foundation for the Blind in Thailand under The Royal Patronage of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in the Phaya Thai area of Bangkok. Her idea took people aback and dropped many jaws.
A right royal read
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 09/02/2015
» When Subhatra Bhumibrabhas said she wanted to translate The King In Exile: The Fall Of The Royal Family Of Burma by Sudha Shah, people warned that the prospects weren't that bright. Why, they said, would Thai readers want to read about the late Burmese king who lived in exile and died almost a century ago? Subhatra, former journalist and now media activist whose interest in Myanmar dates back years, shrugged off such caution and followed her heart in translating the book into Thai.
Birdwatching in town
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 25/12/2014
» Whether you are an art enthusiast, a collector of rare antique books or simply a bird lover, the exhibition of limited edition posters of bird illustrations from the book Birds of America, on the fourth floor of Central Embassy, is worth checking out.