Showing 31 - 40 of 101
Dinosaurs must confront reality
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 14/05/2017
» The whole country, from the prime minister down, has been talking education, bandying about two words in particular: "innovation" and "technology". This culminated in an education fair entitled EdTex, held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, where the consensus was that for Thailand to survive, it needs an education system that is both innovative and technological.
Street food purge leaves a bitter taste
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 23/04/2017
» Living in Bangkok is like winning the lottery; it's surprising how many relatives and friends, and children of estranged friends, come out of the woodwork at holiday time. I have international visitors visiting me regularly, dear reader. This is how I know, despite being allergic to seafood, precisely how long it takes for fish to go off.
Durian kicks up a stink on singing contest
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 02/04/2017
» I happened to be in front of the television, that ancient device we used to watch before YouTube, two Thursday nights ago when a calamity befell the nation.
A lesson from the deep south
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 19/02/2017
» Anubal Narathiwat is one of the largest primary schools in the provincial capital of Narathiwat, the southernmost province of Thailand, right on the Malaysian border. Every morning at 8am assembly, the 1,437 children in Years 1 to 6 line up in front of the flagpole and sing the national anthem.
Out for the count
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 29/01/2017
» I met Owen on my recent trip to Nakhon Phanom, a border province way, way up in the far Northeast. Owen is eight years old. He's in Grade 4 at the local primary school. Owen sat with his mother and when the novelty of having a farang in the house started to wear off and conversation waned, I turned to Nong Owen and asked in Thai:
Suffer the little children
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 15/01/2017
» It's the morning after Children's Day. It is testament to how deeply I am entrenched in Thai culture that I hardly bat an eyelid when Children's Day comes around. There was a time when on hearing of an impending Children's Day I would throw up my exasperated hands and exclaim: "We have a Children's Day in this country? Whatever for?"
Turning over a new leaf
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 18/12/2016
» Art spent last weekend clearing the bracken in the corner of his local school. By lunchtime the area had been cleared, with weeds and unwanted ferns and creepers strewn across the ground. A quick call to his home nearby ensured his 12-year-old son was on hand to help gather the foliage and toss it into the giant waste containers on the other side of the school. This task was largely undertaken by his son; Art sat under a tree, smoking self-rolled cigarettes, drinking a krating daeng.
Never say never
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 20/11/2016
» Being a company owner I am seldom wrong. Ask my staff -- when am I ever wrong? "Never," they will answer, with a stress on the "v" consonant, since I assume the role of a broken record for anyone who dares to drop a "naire-wer" in my vicinity. My staff will then give you an all-knowing glance when I am looking in the other direction, revealing crossed fingers from behind their backs.
Mum is not always right
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 16/10/2016
» What a difference a week makes. Seven days out of Thailand and on my return the entire country -- well, the staff at my school at least -- is in the grip of a moral dilemma.
Response and responsibility
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 02/10/2016
» The older woman appears at the classroom door five minutes into the lesson, staring blankly at us all. Her hair is short and held back by a colourless hairband. Her faded clothes complement her displeasure, and there is a permanent downturn at both ends of her mouth. It is difficult to discern whether the blank look is one of disapproval or disinterest. We are about to find out.