Showing 1 - 10 of 18
The human lens
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 24/09/2025
» An encounter with a girl beaten by a teacher moved Gauri Gill to write a story for a political weekly. However, her idea was set aside for lacking an angle that would engage urban readers and Gill decided to take a month-long sabbatical from work.
The rise of rental companions
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/07/2025
» A recent post on Facebook read: "Buddy Home Care is starting a new service called Children for Rent. It is for seniors in need of companions. Maybe they want to go to the doctor, shop, run errands, or want someone to accompany them. Maybe they just want someone to be there. We charge only 350 baht per hour. Please book a time slot in advance. Currently, the service is available in Chiang Mai. PS: Proceeds will go to seniors charity."
A story told through art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 28/05/2025
» As a bustling neighbourhood in Singapore's East Coast, Bedok Town Square has experienced a kaleidoscopic turn of events. No sooner had it hosted a polling station earlier this month than it conjured a transient art space, inviting everybody to find their place in an ever-shifting world at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA).
Tranquil beauty
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/09/2023
» A powerful earthquake that struck the northwest of Kathmandu in 2015 sent a ripple of destruction through the country. Not far from its epicentre, Bhaktapur bore the brunt of the natural disaster that damaged houses and religious structures. After years of reconstruction, despite lingering signs of ruin, this ancient town continues to preserve harmony between the old and the new.
The many tastes of rice
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/04/2023
» For several decades, cracked ground in Isan or the Northeast of the country captured the public's imagination. In the 1970s, readers submitted their poems to Satri Sarn, the country's first women's magazine, recounting tales of drought, crop failure and hardship. Some were forced to eat leaves and grasshoppers, not rice, while others who fled their villages in search of jobs in Bangkok were duped or exploited by agents.
Imagining a new world
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 17/01/2023
» A few days after the dawn of the new year, I found myself on the move earlier than usual. It is not usually until the second week we hit the ground running. After all, who would fly to Singapore just for an art exhibition? But I took it on because, given the pandemic, its theme seemed timely and powerful. Despite a brief downpour, it was a rewarding experience. Made of earthy materials, some pieces evoked a refreshing sense of self-renewal.
Late New Year arrivals for your playlist
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 12/01/2023
» Happy New Year! After some ups and downs, it's time to begin afresh. Way back in late December, I missed a few songs in my year-end roundup. So here they are, and despite their different genres all can boost our morale and optimism for the upcoming year.
Buzzing with creativity
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/12/2022
» The eighth edition of Chiang Mai Design Week, a nine-day cultural festival that wrapped up last week, was a manifesto of the melting pot that is this northern province. At an out-of-use warehouse in Chang Moi, a group of local artists who took part in a homecoming project exhibited objects from their neighbourhoods in the style of Renaissance curiosity. Here, Achariyar Rojanapirom and Ratthee Phaisanchotsiri curated personal items from their cupboard, including a bowl of stir-fried salted chilli from a nam ngiao shop in the old town, to show how they remain contemporary.
A slice of Andaman paradise
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 31/10/2022
» After six months of closure for the rainy season, Koh Lanta is now reopening to the outside world.
Tunes of the forest
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 08/02/2022
» It is a heavenly radio broadcast that reminds villagers twice a day -- morning and late afternoon -- of their feathered companions under threat of extinction. Despite being hampered by lockdowns, artists have managed to imitate birdsong for public announcement systems to promote human-animal relationships.