Showing 1 - 10 of 201
Govt plans that sound like bad ideas
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 21/02/2020
» Pardon me, dear readers, for the headline betrays my inadequacy in wordsmithery. You see, I put as much effort into coming up with it as the following esteemed people perhaps with their "ideas". It seems you can always count on the government for questionable plans but these three recent examples take the cake. Read on for your entertainment (which may be tinged with hopelessness).
Superlative moments from the censure debate
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 28/02/2020
» At the time of writing, we were in the thick of the censure debate against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and five Cabinet ministers. It was scheduled to end yesterday at 7pm so, by the time you're reading this, you may be reeling in mixed emotions.
#BehindTheHashtags
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/03/2020
» Many student protests that were partly set off by the dissolution of Future Forward Party over the past two weeks has also ushered in new hashtags into the lexicon of Thai social media. At the time of writing, it has been reported that there are 28 hashtags associated with campus protests. Some are humourous while others carry strong political stances and sharp gibes. Whether you agree with these students who've chosen to make their voices heard, it's better to get used to their protest hashtags as more student flashmobs are on their way (but many speculate that the designation of Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease may be used as a tool to suppress them). Not to mention, an online campaign calling for people to wear black on Fridays as a symbol to oppose dictatorship began last Friday.
A playlist for the PM
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/03/2020
» On Monday, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said, "Please stop criticising me. I've had it up to my ears this past weekend. My heart is worsening with each passing day." This was at a press conference during his visit to the Ministry of Energy.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Covid-19 Edition
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 20/03/2020
» The C-word has us all worried, confused and clean out supermarket shelves. The televised address by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday didn't help much and the temporary closure of various venues until March 31 certainly does not. A few venues have taken extra measures and have temporarily shut shop, namely theCommons Thonglor, Beam and Demo. I'm pretty sure the list is going to get longer in the coming weeks.
Laughing in the face of Covid-19
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 27/03/2020
» Laughter is definitely not the best medicine for coronavirus, but perhaps, in difficult times like this, we all could use it the most. While we're all practising self-isolation, social distancing or working from home, I present you examples of people who find humour in the Covid-19 climate to brighten up your days.
Covid-19 Terminology
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 10/04/2020
» Are you a covidiot or a covidient? You can probably guess the meaning of both portmanteaus. The former is used to describe people who disregard social distancing and other rules regarding the Covid-19 pandemic that have been put in place while the latter is the opposite and comprises of "Covid-19" and "obedient". Hope you're all the latter.
That's the Way the (Corona) Cookie Crumbles
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 17/04/2020
» One way for us to cope with the pandemic is to look on the bright side, but some have taken a step further and see the delicious side too. Not sure what I'm getting at? You see, there are coronavirus-inspired foods that have been circulated online to make you hungry and hahaha at the same time. Has this whet your appetite yet? Allow me to present to you a five-course Covid-19 set menu. Bon appétit! g
Getting around social distancing
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/04/2020
» Let's face it, people. We don't go out with a tape measure in our bag (next to a bottle of hand sanitiser, a pair of plastic gloves and a spare face mask) to make sure we all adhere to the recommended six feet of social distancing. Hopefully, we do the best we can in the given circumstances or find a way to protect ourselves even when we aren't sure we're six feet apart from one another. Here are a few real-life examples for your entertainment.
The first week of "new normal"
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 08/05/2020
» Last Sunday, Covid-19 curbs have been eased as 13 types of businesses were allowed to reopen after a month-long halt while four airlines resume domestic flights to 14 provinces since last Friday. Markets, public parks, food shops, barbershops, pet groomers and more resume operations under safety conditions, giving us back a sense of quasi-normalcy. The silver lining is that more businesses may be reopened if the daily tally of Covid-19 remains low (keeping fingers and toes crossed). In case you want to head out this weekend, you can look forwards to this.