Showing 1 - 10 of 25
Thailand's kookiest competitions
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 22/07/2022
» Every country has its own share of kooky competitions, and that's also true for Thailand. From the search for a Guanyin avatar to the Peta-would-surely-disapprove swimming competition, here are a few for your entertainment.
What's in a (soi) name?
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/06/2022
» At the front of practically every soi in Bangkok, you'll notice a pole with a blue sign with white letters at the top proclaiming its name. However, if you look closer you may find many sois in Thailand can brighten your day with their curious names. Here are a few for your entertainment.
April Fools' Day Jokes That Should Be Real
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 01/04/2022
» Although April Fools' Day isn't a Thai tradition, to begin with, every year businesses and brands have jumped on this good-natured humour bandwagon with their out-there ideas for products and services. And I must admit some of them are simply brilliant that I wish they were true. Here're a few memorable April Fools' Day jokes I wish they could just be real for your entertainment.
Let's make babies
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 04/03/2022
» Thailand's record lowest birth rate in 50 years has prompted the authorities to encourage the public to procreate more. As part of a long-term campaign, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Sathit Pitutecha, recently suggested the Thai Health Promotion Organization ask social media influencers to share their stories about having a loving family when they are ready, how much fun they have raising kids and to basically set a good example.
Thai Conversation Starters That Should Be Cancelled
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 04/02/2022
» At the risk of sounding like a social justice warrior and woke snowflake, I find various casual lines in Thai conversation to be problematic. They may sound innocent upon first hearing but if you really dissect them you may find them to be verbal putdown focused on perceived flaws and laced with micro-aggressions. Think I may be overreacting? Check them out below and reasons why I think they are offensive. Most importantly, I have also come up with sassy retorts for your entertainment.
Thai Words of the Year
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 03/12/2021
» Collins Dictionary recently picked NFT, or non-fungible tokens, as 2021's Word of the Year and it got my language pedant self thinking two things. First, isn't NFT an acronym and hence it should be "acronym of the year" or two words of the year if we want to be that anal-retentive. Second, why don't I give the same treatment to the Thai language for your edutainment? Here's my personal pick of TWOTY.
Dubious Designs
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 08/10/2021
» Good designs can stop you in your tracks and catch your attention. Questionable designs garner the same reaction, though with unintentional comedic effect or innuendos. Don't believe me? Here are a few of so-bad-it's-good designs for your entertainment.
Popcat fever
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 20/08/2021
» How many pops have you made? Popcat website/game took Thai internet by storm over the weekend. And the furry frenzy was still going strong at the time of going to press. ICYMT, here's a summary of the online feline phenomenon so far. Yes, cat pun very intended.
Happy Belated April's Fool Day!
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 02/04/2021
» Sometimes I feel like every other day is April's Fool Day in Thailand given the sheer number of unbelievable news stories, for good or bad reasons, that happen. To belatedly celebrate April's Fool Day in a way that the authorities won't have any problems with, I present you with 10 news stories -- your job will be to discern which ones are genuine. Put T in front of the story you think is true and put F if you think it's an April's Fool Day prank, you know the drill. The answers are provided at the end so no cheating!
How to Name Your Car Like You're One of the 0.1%
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 19/02/2021
» The 0.1% of Thais (not 1% 'cause Thailand has the highest wealth inequality in the world, you see) may rejoice at the recent news that soon you can pay an extra fee to give your vehicle a real name on a licence plate instead of the two-alphabets-and-numerals combo the 99.9% are familiar with. The new rules will allow a combination of more than two alphabets, vowels, tone marks and numbers in a vehicle registration plate for a personal car with no more than seven seats. In short, you can name your car after you or give it a person's name. For example, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha can name his "ประยุทธ์ 2 กรุงเทพมหานคร (Prayut 2 Bangkok)" to commemorate his second term. The plan is expected to be implemented around the middle of this year and you can bid for such a plate with starting price of B1 million. Money raised this way will be spent to improve road safety.