• OPINION

  Take the long way

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 18/02/2015

  » Before the Thai-Chinese population can get to holidaying and frolicking tomorrow, the main deed to be taken care of today is that of paying respects to ancestors. Only after one has passed that checkpoint, with all the incense, firecrackers and greasy food in between, does the celebrating begin. Although she was born in Thailand, my mother is a second-generation Teochew immigrant, meaning her upbringing was influenced by Chinese traditions. Like any heritage-respecting Thai-Chinese person, she is expected to be at her sister's house today, where the ceremonies to commemorate their late parents will take place. 

• OPINION

  You can always go Downton

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 15/01/2015

  » On Monday, Joanne Froggatt of Downton Abbey fame won her first Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a series. I started to squeal, scream, cry and do a victory dance in my head as if I had just won the award myself. But because I was at work, I dutifully simmered down and continued with my enchanting office life. 

• OPINION

  With abundance comes indifference 

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 03/12/2014

  » When you come from a third-world country but grew up in the West, or any other country "better off" than your own, far too long for your own good, the comparing game begins. Sometimes, it brings about a seed of discontentment with your current existence, although most of the time it's just a lot of whining. There is clearly lots to moan and gripe about in Thailand, to the point I sometimes find Kuwait more attractive by comparison. 

• OPINION

  The most tempting taro of all

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 30/10/2014

  » It's official: being nosy is now an attribute Thai people have willingly added to their biodata. We even have a particular word to soften it. The crude Thai slang suak, meaning irritably meddling and snooping in the most repugnant manner, has been given a curse-free incarnation, so people can use the word more openly and flagrantly. To avoid sounding boorish, people now say puak, which still sounds like the original slang word, but actually means "taro".   

• OPINION

  Remembering Mary Poppins

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 26/08/2014

  » Fifty years ago today, the movie Mary Poppins was released in theatres and would be later heralded as Walt Disney's hallmark masterpiece.

• OPINION

  Robbing from the rich, but giving to whom?

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 26/09/2014

  » Life has meaning again, now that Downton Abbey has returned to our TV screens, its fifth season beginning last Sunday. Its otherworldly visuals continue to draw me in, with the upstairs goings-on of the aristocrats and the downstairs drama among the servants still as captivating as ever. I actually have to remind myself every time I watch an episode that people from another continent in this world of ours actually lived like this less than 100 years ago: that cooks had to dine separately from the rest of the servants in a stately home; that members of the upper class changed clothes as often as five times a day; that it was inconceivable that a proper lady or gentleman would have to perform actual work to earn a living.

• OPINION

  Stranger than fiction

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 22/07/2014

  » Thais are attracted to drama like magpies are to anything and everything shiny. We have such a penchant for drama to the point that even extremely pressing work can wait another 30 minutes and causing a bit of traffic is suddenly acceptable — speeding off without seeing the faces of the people in the road accident? Never! Perhaps it’s the reason why sappy soap operas still have their days in this country and why web boards such as Pantip and Drama Addict can still reel in a gargantuan number of visitors.

• OPINION

  Warning: spoilers ahead

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 16/05/2014

  » The world never ceases to find new ways to harass our emotional well-being every day. Because I am only human, the pain that comes along with tax papers and sold-out avocados is now also extended to stumbling across TV-series, movie and book spoilers. And those abhorrent things are practically diving towards us from every possible direction, what with the internet and smartphones inextricably entwined with our daily lives.

• OPINION

  L is the loneliest letter

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 19/06/2014

  » The Google doodle that greeted me upon turning on my computer three days ago could not have encapsulated my life, in animated cartoon form, any better.

• OPINION

  Support the real cause

  Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 28/02/2014

  » A protest of three months is nothing to throw confetti for, but what has festered around various spots in town is no doubt a curious wonder to witness — it will surely fuel stories of sorts that I will tell youngsters in the future.

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