Showing 111 - 120 of 441
A pain in the anal cavity
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 15/10/2017
» For the first time ever, in the nine years I have written this weekly column, I write to you with a temperature of 38.7 degrees. Apparently that's pretty high. I'm not an expert on body temperature, but it was high enough for me to end up in a special waiting room at my hospital, separated from the Samut Prakan masses, and not because I was a VIP.
A song that unites Thais in their grief
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 22/10/2017
» The royal anthem is known as Pleng Sansern Phra Baramee, or "The Song that Praises the Glory of the King". This piece of music is 130 years old. It was the third national anthem of Siam for more than 40 years, from 1888 to 1933 -- the one prior to that was Britain's God Save The King/Queen with Thai lyrics.
Has anyone seen Jeck?
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 03/09/2017
» There is movement at the end of my soi. It started a week ago and now the changes are swift. A sign goes down, a sign goes up. Old wooden planks, serving as roofs and walls, get prised apart. Tables and chairs and cookers are being gathered up and moved across the road.
Trapped on the horns of a moral dilemma
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 01/10/2017
» Jackie is the grown-up daughter of my dear friend Kelly. Now she's 21 and wants to take a year off university and travel around Southeast Asia. This is the email I received from her: "Hi! This is Jackie! I don't know whether Mom told you, but me and my boyfriend are going backpacking around Asia and want to include Thailand! We were wondering if we could stay with you for a week or so when we get to Bangkok! We'll arrive in December! Is that all right? Does that put you out?"
Wheelchair warrior takes on skytrain
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 10/09/2017
» Two major events shaped the life of Manit Intaraphim. One was falling asleep at the wheel. The other was a bad bowl of corn soup. The first occurred early one Monday morning more than two decades ago as he was riding his big bike to work. The ensuing crash broke his spine and put him in hospital for 12 months. He was a paraplegic at the age of 24.
Stateless Mong still forced to fly solo
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 17/09/2017
» It is hard to believe nine years have passed since Mong Thongdee hit the media spotlight. Little Mong was big news in September 2009, a few months before violent clashes between anti-government protesters and government troops.
Mae Ya Nang needs help
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 24/09/2017
» One of my staff bought a car a few days ago. It's a second-hand Nissan Silphy, which according to the old owner is "as good as new", a statement one must take with Goderich, Ontario, the largest operating salt mine in the world. Nevertheless, my staff member is thrilled to be paying 8,000 baht a month to a finance company for the rest of his working life.
Running onempty
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 30/07/2017
» It was when I awoke at 5am that the terrible realisation came to the fore. The previous night, just prior to retiring, I'd performed my usual nightly ablutions. I did a quick clean-up of my bedroom, placing dirty clothes in the clothes basket, as well as tossing a mountain of squeezed lemon wedges and empty yellow tonic cans into the trash.
Lies, Damned Lies ... And Billboards
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 06/08/2017
» The Bang Na expressway is a corridor of lies and deceit. Describing it like that may be extreme, but we are living in extreme times. We are required to react to everything in the most shocking way, and what better way to do that than to react hysterically to things which, back in the 20th century, warranted a cursory glance with a disapproving raised eyebrow.
TV soaps and a load of old flannel
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 13/08/2017
» Life gets a little weird here in the Land of Smiles at times, and that's not a reference to the queues that currently stretch from Don Mueang to Suvarnabhumi airports. I'm talking about the comments made by the deputy governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration -- that giant, dusty machine that runs the city despite having its head lopped off last year with a Section 44 order citing corruption and ineffective administration.