Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Good times, good relations
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 03/05/2019
» The recent Thai Festival in Seoul was indeed a sight to behold. It's not often people can dance to molam and luk thung at Cheonggye Plaza, or eating som tam while lounging leisurely by Cheonggyecheon Stream. But the two-day event recently held in South Korea proved a delight for Thais as well as local Koreans and other foreigners.
The spectral art
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 09/04/2019
» Sexy women, ghosts, simplistic plot, tendency to be naughty and violent. These are the stereotypical characteristics people have come to associate with the old-school Thai-style pulp comics that are close to disappearing from the market.
The politics of change
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 18/03/2019
» It is less than a week until the much-anticipated general election. For the first time in the history of Thailand, we are seeing a huge turnout of LGBTI candidates from different professions and backgrounds, jumping on the political bandwagon and representing sexual diversity. Out and proud, many of them are standing as candidates or are working with political parties in order to make their voices heard.
Fashioning a culture
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 12/12/2018
» Chiang Mai Design Week 2018 is now under way to highlight creative designs and crafts that can be found in everyday life in the northern capital.
The finish line
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 17/07/2018
» When the gates opened, the jockeys drove hard and the horses thundered out on the grassy racetrack. The crowd of fortune-seekers went wild cheering for the horses they'd bet on. Some clutched a pair of binoculars. Others had eyes glued to the big screen. In the background, the announcer detailed the race's progress. After just over a minute, the horses covered 1,200m and crossed the finish line. While some continued to cheer, most of the crowd fell into a collective sigh.
Time traveller
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 04/04/2018
» Period dramas, the sources of romanticisation of the bygone, continue to transfix viewers everywhere. From the South Korean culinary tale Dae Jang Guem, to the dramatisation of UK royalty in The Crown, or the court of Louis XIV in Versailles, or even Thailand's own See Pandin (Four Reigns), these fusions of history and fantasy offer an outlook to the past -- glorified or critical -- while also sparking interest and debate over the portrayals of historical accounts.
Dancer in the light
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 25/08/2015
» Kanyanan Jittreenit performs traditional Thai dance for a living. It's a relatively safe job, unless you perform at the Erawan Shrine. Though rare, there are a few occupational hazards for <i>nang ram</i> -- female dancers -- at this world-famous, four-faced Lord Brahma shrine on the corner of Ratchaprasong intersection, a site of many political demonstrations and, most recently, a bomb attack.