• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Open letter on inclusivity

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 11/03/2019

  » How would you like your ice cream? Do you like it with cherry on top? Or whipped cream?

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Sexual harassment of men

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 14/08/2017

  » It's not often we associate a singing concert with sexual harassment, but that certainly happened with Workpoint's popular show <i>The Mask Singer Season 2</i> last Thursday.

• OPINION

  Pokemon: When free isn't really free anymore

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 25/07/2016

  » Here comes the tune. And queue in the guitar solo.

• OPINION

  This is not a trans world

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 04/09/2015

  » Most Thai people just can't grasp the term "transman". Although compared to other Asian countries we are considerably more open when it comes to gender diversity, our knowledge of the LGBT spectrum is still quite limited. Transwomen (or katoey) are a vibrant fixture in our society. Tomboys and lesbians are also quite accepted (or tolerated, as some would argue). But, when it comes to transmen -- those born as females but who identify as male -- they are not as visible in this country.

• OPINION

  Selective sympathy in an anonymous society

  Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 05/08/2015

  » The past weekend has been quite a long one for many - four days of vacation and Buddhist religious activities. It was a weekend that was defined by merit-making and people saying no to alcohol. The abstinence lasted for two days. Thong Lor was deserted on Friday night - a phenomenon for Bangkok.

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