Showing 1 - 10 of 22
School system still full of oppression
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 13/07/2020
» If a student's hair could talk, every single strand would probably ask: "Why are you so obsessed with me?" in its best Regina George impression.
Will we learn from the pandemic?
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 04/05/2020
» I don't think any of us could have anticipated that we would be where we are now. A year ago, or even months ago, nobody would have thought it possible for a modern society like ours to be hit by a pandemic on a level that seemed to exist only in the long-gone past and in movies. Panic buying. Toilet paper hoarding. Convenience stores no longer open 24/7. People ordering hair clippers online to cut their own hair. Face masks becoming a necessary entry pass for most public venues. They're now normal. A new normal, so to speak. Life has surely changed a lot.
Human cruelty for a false belief
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 07/10/2019
» Would you pay to set something free? A poor, small creature locked away in confinement perhaps? From behind bars, its eyes meet yours as if to say: "Save me." So delicate. So pitiful. And if you do nothing, who knows what's going to happen to it? You take your wallet out. Hand over a few bills to the seller, who has handful of cages on him. And soon you let it go. Be it bird, fish, turtle or other. Fly free. Swim free.
The eyes can lie
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 05/08/2019
» Thai people are considerably kind. We like making merit to help unfortunate souls. And especially in an era when everyone can easily connect through social media, the ways of merit-making have changed and expanded even further. From previously making physical donations at temples and charities, people now reach out to help individuals -- many times a stranger -- they see online. Pictures of sick dogs, cats, humans, or even a call for blood donations appear on our Facebook feeds often on a weekly basis. The plea for help -- coupled with touching stories and photos -- always tugs at our heartstrings. And it doesn't take long for many of us to lend a helping hand, mostly through making a swift donation to help with the cause.
Focus, everybody
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 30/07/2018
» Every day is a new day. And every new day brings new drama, scandal and gossip to this controversy-addicted nation.
The country is a tangled-up mess
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 14/05/2018
» What's the end result of negligence, of carelessness? What's the cost of not doing one's job properly?
Waiting for justice
Oped, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 12/02/2018
» Making headlines this month is yet another scandal about the rich and powerful with their hands caught in a cookie jar. No, this is not the 26th watch — or would that be the 100th? — in Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon’s I-borrow-them-from-my-dead-friends saga. Nor is it the 300 million-baht loan to ex-police chief Somyot Poompunmuang. This time, a man has been caught with his fingerprints on a rifle, sitting in a forest next to protected wildlife carcasses.
When the floods come, and leadership sinks
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 13/11/2017
» Are you aware that parts of the country is submerged? Yes? No? Sort of? It's been a busy month on our newsfeed. Bodyslam's frontman Toon is raising millions from his cross-country run, gaining praise (and criticism) from the good cause. And what else is on the news? The shopping tax break? The junta's new set of questions?
Man versus dog
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 22/05/2017
» Last week, a concerned father took to Facebook asking for justice for his seven-year-old daughter who was bitten by a stray dog. The incident took place on Koh Samui and the girl was immediately taken to hospital where she received injections to prevent tetanus and rabies. A big gash on her thigh meant she had to miss the first week of school.
Let love carry us
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 24/10/2016
» It's almost impossible to fathom that Thai people have been living without King Rama IX for 11 days. Spending days and nights praying is now the norm for many. A difficult time, indeed. But life goes on, even when we wish it could revert and bring back the one we've lost.