Showing 1 - 10 of 15
The fifth Meliá in Thailand
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/10/2025
» Meliá Pattaya Hotel, the fifth Meliá in Thailand, is a 12-storey building on Pattaya Sai Song. Grand Sole Pattaya has been given a major glow-up and emerges anew as Meliá Pattaya Hotel. Had I not been told, I would have thought it was a new property built from the ground up.
Artist James Jean unveils Johnnie Walker's Lunar New Year design
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 23/01/2024
» Johnnie Walker recently unveiled the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition Design, a collab with Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean, at a star-studded regional launch held at Johnnie Walker’s Depth of Blue Room on the 35th Floor of Park Hyatt Bangkok.
Tiny and cosy
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/11/2023
» 'PPAL49 X Sardine @Scope Promsri' is a joint effort between PPAL Cafe, the homeware brand Sardine and the luxurious condo Scope Promsri on Sukhumvit 49.
Nitori's first branch to open Aug 31 at CentralWorld
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 29/08/2023
» Japanophiles in Thailand rejoice! Another major brand from Japan is setting up shop in Thailand. Following a two-hour pre-opening on Aug 26, furniture and home furnishing brand Nitori will open its flagship store on the fifth floor of CentralWorld on Rama I Road on Aug 31.
A staycation for pawrents
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 29/10/2021
» Standing 40-storey tall amid leafy surroundings, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok celebrates its first anniversary this month. An oasis in the city where you (and your pet) can escape to for a green respite.
Modern Advertising Oops
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 14/05/2021
» If you've been a regular reader of mine (and thank you so much if you are), you know I'm a bit obsessed with advertisements. They can be an unintentional source of controversy and comedy, if not done right. Here's a few of modern advertisement that perhaps need a second thought.
Afterlife wish list
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 05/02/2021
» Chinese New Year next Friday is a special one since it'll be the first time it's approved as a public holiday in Thailand by the Cabinet. We may as well make it a tradition, given the huge population of overseas Chinese here. As a third-generation Thai with complete Chinese ethnicity, I grew up with a lot of quirky traditions that my Thai Thai friends may not be aware of. Burning paper offerings on important occasions like Qingming Festival or CNY is at the top as it's a gesture of taking care of departed loved ones in the afterlife with creature comforts. Over the years, I've seen the evolution (and irony) of paper offerings from banknotes with 12 digits (hyperinflation much?) to treadmills so ama and agong can stay in shape. Here are a few of the most creatives offerings for your entertainment:
School Fails
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 23/06/2020
» We would think that schools teach kids the right things or set good examples but that isn't always the case. Here are a few unfortunate recent cases to inspire would-be parents to home-school their children.
For the (curious) records
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/09/2019
» It seems like not a month goes by without Thailand being recognised on a global scale. Recently, Bangkok beat Paris and London as the most visited city in the world for 2018, for the fourth consecutive year, according to a MasterCard ranking. Thailand's capital hosted 22 million overnight travellers. In the midst of the flattering and not-so-flattering world titles Thailand has received, you may not be aware of the times we receive recognition for rather peculiar feats. If your curiosity is piqued, allow me to present the strange/cool world records in the Land of Smiles.
Thailand's Miseducation
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/09/2019
» The conventional notion is that you can rely on textbooks as your source of basic knowledge on a subject matter that you're interested in, but that it isn't always the case in Thailand. You see, some Thai books or educational materials don't seem to care much about being factually correct and, sometimes, politically correct, too. Here are some recent examples for your miseducation.