Books culture

What important period is it now?... I don’t really want to talk about it because it’s actually one of the worst time of each year, but it’s my final exams week! To get into the spirit of this tiring week, one of the things that are mostly associated with this week is probably books. It is time to read, read, and read. And that is the reason, why I chose this picture, a picture of the Thailand’s International Book Fair that had been with us for so long. Many of us may believe that Thai people is one of the countries that holds a small percentage for the number of citizens who read books. However, this picture signifies contrasting ideas because as you have seen from the picture there are numerous people from all ages, all gender, and all walks of life who went to this fair. In fact, with the support from Thai Health Promotion Foundation (สสส.), it was evident that Thai people had engaged towards a positive trend in reading from 61.2% in 2003 to 69.1% in 2005 which is really an outstanding achievement. So with more book fairs that have been set up more often each year and an increase in percentage of people reading, I believe Thai culture is moving towards the book/educational culture. We can also see this Thai people love for book culture through the growth of the café/coffee shops/ chic libraries like TCDC and TK parks where many of our teens will spend their days reading there. Therefore, with an encouragement from the states and schools, Thai culture will really become a true books culture soon. This love of book will make help our nation grow and constructed ourselves to move its role from a developing country to develop country in our near future.

Statistic source:

http://www.thaihealth.or.th/healthcontent/special_report/23614

A must visit place for Bangkokians!

Even though, Loy Krathong festival had passed for a month, but I still remember the joy and festive moments I have when I used to visit Poo-Kao-Thong’s festival (งานวัดภูเขาทอง) with my family this year. Poo Kao Thong’s festival first started since Rama 5 where the king has the aim that Bangkok people should have a chance to experience the full option entertainment hubs. However, recently as modernity has spread to most areas in Bangkok, it isn’t easy to find festivals like this. This picture inspires me to see the different side of Bangkok, the side that is truly Thai, where amalgam of Thai activities and Thai traditional lifestyles are ready to spread its beauty to the modernize Bangkokian. Here, you would not only get to pray respect to the famous Sukhothai- style Buddha of Wat Sakhet , but you would get to ride on the old style multi-color ferris wheel, play sao noi tok nam (สาวน้อยตกน้ำ), frighten by the thai style haunted house, watch the monkey soap opera (ละครลิง), and eat authentic Thai snacks and food such as kanom-bueng (ขนมเบี้อง), tung-tak (ถังแตก), or fried insects. All of this has made Poo-Kao-Thong festival, the only temple festival (งานวัด) in Bangkok unique and worth visiting. Remember this long traditional only last 7 days 7 nights during the Loy Krathong festival, so I recommend all of you to visit one of the truly best Thai carnival of your life :D

Thailand the land of Japanese influences...

As mention earlier in my previous blog, Korean wave have shape the modern Thai society, however, another country we cannot argued and have also plays a huge influence to Thai society is Japan. Before I write this blog, I was completing my Japanese homework, and when I looked around me I found out that almost all the stationery or snack I ate comes from Japan. This picture includes my Japanese textbook “minna no nihongo,” Calbee potato chip snack, my sanrio (Japanese cartoon) folder, and my kanji cards. When I look at this picture, this even makes me think deeper about these items I possess that nearly all of these items are with me more than five years. Most importantly, this visual itself sends the message to me that Japan had invaded greatly at least into ¼ of my life years and to a large extend I’m sure it had become a part of many Thai people’s life. This image may only portray a very small part of Japanese influences to Thai culture, but in reality Nippon ( another name to call Japan) had invaded us in all kinds of ways whether it is in form of tv, movies, games, cosmetics, songs, clothing, and imported products. The list of Japanese influences to Thai society can keep going and its possibility not going to end, but what I wanted to point out for Japan is different from those of Koreans because Japanese have spread its authority very strongly and for a much longer period of time. It shows how they are successfully asserting power to us. So in the end, I hope that very soon, with our emerging status as a developing country, Thailand can become as powerful and as develop as Japan. In this way, I will be able to take a picture of my possessions which are all made from Thailand :)

My greatest will power UCLA!

After the flooding situation in Bangkok is getting better, it’s time for me to go back and study. Well, I have to admit that it’s hard for me to get back to work after this long unexpected break. However, there is one picture that makes me push myself to study anytime I am lazy and that is actually the reason I chose this picture. This picture is the picture of my dream campus University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), a picture I took when I had a chance to visit UCLA in 2009. This is a picture of UCLA Royce Hall, a famous hall for theatrical performances and big social gathering places. It represents Thai culture because it depicts the competitiveness within the Thai society. Nowadays, Thai society hold an ideology that if you want to be successful, you need to get into a good university. I'm one of those people who held this belief, so this image influences me to become a better student. Anytime I look at this picture, it will always warn me never to quit whenever I fall. It tells me to work hard consistently, to maintain good grade and most importantly the picture always have and always will be my best willpower. UCLA have been my dream university since grade 9, but no matter how much time has pass, this university will always be the place I’m pursuing to get into one day. I hope that with my determination, my dedication, and my love towards UCLA, I will be able to become part of the warm UCLA family, uses their Bruins mascot, being pride with the color blue and gold, and continue my master degree in the new university I love in the same level as Chulalongkorn University very soon. Love CU and UCLA <3 <3

I want to be THIN

As I walked pass the shopping mall, I have seen one slimming centers with lots of women inside their place. Then, I went up the other floor and saw another slimming center. When I thought about it, it struck me why do women and even men these days spend so much time and money on these slimming centers. With this countless slimming places that have rise at every corners of Bangkok, this picture strikes my interest. The picture and slimming place have made me conclude something that Thai society and actually most developing societies worldwide judge the beauty from outside appearance. People have tried every way to make them thin, and women especially always care about their weight too much that they become obsess. I am more than sure we think people who are thin are more beautiful than those who are fat and people who are thin always have more opportunities. I didn’t want to attack women who want to be thin because it is actually a good thing. However, I just want to warn Thai women not to be too fixated with their curve and their little fat waistline because being fat is not always bad. In fact, the best way for Thai society is to judge people from inside rather than outside appearance so people won’t be as crazy about being overweight and being thin.