Showing 1 - 6 of 6
A full slate of Songkran festivities
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 06/04/2018
» The Dusit Winter Festival (Oon Ai Rak) may be over, but initiatives from His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn to spread the good grace of Thai culture continue. From today until Sunday, a number of activities relating to Songkran festivities will be hosted at the Royal Plaza and nearby Sanam Suapa. Tonight, at 6pm, members of the public are invited to join in a Buddhist chant along with 239 monks to pay homage to Queen Sirikit and the past monarchs.
Sentiment lost in symbols
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 11/11/2015
» Personally, November is a bit of a bummer month, for not having anything to look forward to. The only festive frolicking is Loy Krathong -- and I'm not sure what that commemorates or celebrates precisely. Out of habit and some weird justification, my household will probably have to float something in our little village pond. Mostly because it's become a bit of a societal requirement -- you're considered a total misanthrope if the neighbours notice that you don't show up. Besides being shunned by the village, would I be forever blacklisted by the water gods for choosing to opt out of this eye-watering and ecologically reckless festival?
A culture of mindless excessiveness
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 06/08/2015
» Just a few weeks ago, I discovered Ik Junoon (Paint It Red), an infectiously catchy song that played in the 2011 Bollywood flick Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. I've obviously been in a black hole of sorts to miss this instantly popular song and hit road trip movie, but it still wasn't the song that left the most lasting impression. Only when I actually looked at the YouTube screen as I was listening to the music was I blown away by the visuals that accompanied the ambient house music.
From Amsterdam to Amsterdenim
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 04/06/2015
» Known as the denim Mecca of the world, today heads turn to Japan for the finest and most premium jeans man can produce. Italy runs a pretty close second, being home to some of the best fabric mills, as well as having a long heritage of vintage looks. Mention this textile and America too comes to mind, for being the nation that has globally popularised jeans, ensuring the product transcended its original functional purpose of being worn by labourers in the mines. But for those outside of the denim loop, it is hard to envision how the Netherlands, a country anything but fashion-forward, could be seen as the new centrepoint for denim, both commercial and niche.
Pinch of literary spice
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 01/06/2015
» For the first time in India, local language authors such as Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi have become marquee names in terms of sales, eclipsing even mainstream Western writers on the market. Books using local, vernacular language are edgy and have a huge following among young readers.
Exploring the last frontier
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 20/10/2014
» Uncle Nelson Howe sent 3 million viewers into hysterical laughing fits when a viral video of him swearing in Thai was posted on YouTube in March. Scripted, directed and shot in just a day by Salmon Books' cash cow writer, Thanachart "Benz" Siripatrachai, the video propelled Thanachart's book it was unashamedly peddling — New York 1st Time — to bestseller status.