• OPINION

  Honouring Dad

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 05/12/2016

  » As far back as I could remember Dec 5, the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has always been considered the National Father's Day. Today is the first time in the lives of millions of Thais to observe this important occasion without the beloved royal father figure.

• OPINION

  A drought of understanding

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 09/05/2016

  » Tonight there will be a new moon. According to the Thai lunar calendar, tomorrow will be the first day of the sixth month. And that reminds me of the classic Thai country song Fon Duen Hok (Rain Of The Sixth Month) and its famous description of rice fields at this time of year, when the air is moist with light rain and filled with the resonating frog calls that mark the beginning of monsoon season.

• OPINION

  Getting to know familiar strangers

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 21/01/2016

  » On my way to work I have to pass Victory Monument where I use the elevated pedestrian walkway to reach the BTS station. At the northern end of the walkway, I always pick up a copy of M2F from a newsboy who is positioned there every weekday morning to hand out the free newspaper to passers-by. I need something interesting to read during idle time on the Skytrain and the paper is much better for the eyes than the mobile screen. Besides, I want to check out if the newsboy is doing his job properly.

• OPINION

  The trouble with seeing double

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 24/12/2015

  » The other day I dropped by at a coffee shop for a caffè latte. When I was told my order was ready I had to rub my eyes hard because I saw the young lady at the counter handing me two cups instead of one. Nope, it wasn't a promotion, there was no "buy one, get one free" sign anywhere in the shop. As I was the only customer, it wasn't that she was giving me someone else's coffee, either. I looked around and realised there was something terribly wrong... with me.

• OPINION

  Wake up Westerners! Make your voices heard

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 12/11/2015

  » The other day I received a forwarded clip via Line, of a silent film by Charlie Chaplin.

• OPINION

  The greatest of Thai patriots 

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 22/10/2015

  » Independence Day doesn't exist on the Thai calendar, thanks to the countless number of patriots in the past who devoted their lives to protect their homeland from foreign rule. One of the heroes we should not forget is the great King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who is remembered through an annual national holiday on Oct 23.

• OPINION

  You can't stand under my umbrella

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 17/09/2015

  » Love it or hate it, the monsoon is a part of life in Thailand. Bangkok is located in the tropics and there's nothing much you can do about it. For an unknown reason, we Thai men never carry an umbrella. So every time I leave my apartment I take with me the next best thing, a hat. And that is usually good enough as protection to keep me going, rain or shine. But the other night it rained so heavily I had to give in.

• OPINION

  Surviving Bike for Mom in one piece

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 13/08/2015

  » Hundreds of thousands of people and their bicycles will be out on the streets throughout Thailand this Sunday as part of the Bike for Mom event. Many of them will be cyclists who ride regularly and know what they are doing. Others will be newbies who may know how to ride but are not aware that this is not enough to survive the long mass ride.

• OPINION

  The final call for home

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 11/06/2015

  » A few days before my mother passed away, she asked me, her eldest child, "When I die, can you hold my funeral at Ban Tha Lo?"

• OPINION

  Sharpen up the mind and learn Chinese

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 16/07/2015

  » Languages are more than a tool for communication. I have experience to prove that.

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