Showing 11 - 20 of 198
Children and the itsy bitsy spiders
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 28/09/2015
» Fear is such a funny thing that has different manifestations in each of us.
Log out for life in the slow lane
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 05/10/2015
» It's quite amazing how dependent we are on technology. The other day, the internet was down at the office, making life quite miserable for those working on a deadline. My emails were not coming through, I couldn't download pictures, and I couldn't use Google to check facts. Only the spinning icon seemed to be working.
The dying art of courtesy
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 12/10/2015
» Isn't it strange that the careers we once idolised when we were young have somehow lost their aura now.
The power of the 'written' word
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 19/10/2015
» Do you believe in signs? I'm sure I do. Each week I look for signs to indicate what the topic of my next column will be. Sometimes they are fragmentary and vapourish, and require further interpretations before they can be distilled into a subject matter that I can tackle.
The social (reading) network
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 24/08/2015
» I am joining a book club. "How quaint and antiquated that sounds," remarked my daughter when I told her. Is reading truly a thing of the past? Newspapers are fading into oblivion, gradually to disappear off the face of the earth, like the dinosaurs. That's what people in the know have been telling me. At least that's not going to happen within this year, so I assume my job is safe until I retire.
Bluto vs Barbarella
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 31/08/2015
» Last week we had one of our rare family gatherings, this time to make merit for my late father who passed away 30 years ago. I write quite a bit about my mother, who is still doing well at the age of 97. So today I thought I'd do a bit of reminiscing about my father. Having your own column allows you that bit of self-indulgence.
Teach our children how to think
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 07/09/2015
» Politics and religion may be taboo conversation subjects, but the subject of education in Thailand is always a great way to get the ball rolling. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has an opinion to give. Not much of it is positive. The recent announcement by the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) that schools are going to reduce class hours from eight hours a day to six in order to give children time for more extra-curricular activities has caused a lot more concern than praise. I don't think the quantity is going to make any difference, if the quality of teaching is not up to standard and you're not going to get quality teaching in the classroom if you can't pay teachers a reasonable salary. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Just to put things into perspective, according to figures from the 2015 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Switzerland is the country with the most well-paid teachers.
Rising above greed
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 14/09/2015
» Of the Seven Deadly Sins -- Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride -- I'm quite certain that Greed is the root of most of the depravity that goes on in society today.
Little chair of horrors
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 10/08/2015
» Going to the dentist is an ordeal that I dread. I try my best to avoid having to go to the dentist by brushing my teeth after every meal. And since I'm not a fan of fizzy drinks and sweets, I've managed to keep my teeth intact to a certain extent. I can't remember the last time I was at the dentist's; it must have been at least a decade ago. I have great admiration for those who manage to keep their teeth until they're old. I'm hoping I'm going to be one of those people, but last week, after eating some crispy dried pork, my tooth chipped. It's a horrible feeling, to suddenly feel something like a grain of sand in your mouth which you know shouldn't be there.
Thumbing your nose at traffic signs
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 17/08/2015
» The other day a friend of mine asked a taxi driver to drop her off near an intersection. She planned to cross the road to get to the other side, but the taxi driver, being the dear sweet gentleman that he was, insisted on dropping her off on the side she wanted to go, though it meant going a long way further to make a U-turn. To her surprise, he made a quick U-turn right at the intersection.