Bangkok Klong of Consciousness

Now…

Then…

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Read the full entry to find out how this Thai girl transforms herself from this:

…to this:

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Fed up of being pushed around on the skytrain while others stare at the TV adverts, contentedly exploring their nostrils? Or maybe you just don’t know what to do with those fidgety hands of yours? Fear not, the Thai Ministry of Culture is here to help with this handy booklet on Thai social etiquette:

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Popularity: 31% [?]

As of tonight, bar and club owners throughout Thailand will be legally required to ban all smokers from lighting up inside in their premises.

A similar ban was introduced at pubs and bars in England on July 1st last year, sparking off a social phenomenon that the British press have since dubbed ‘smirting’ (a combination of smoking and flirting at the same time).

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Popularity: 59% [?]

If you’re ever in the Siam Square area of Bangkok and find yourself in need of escaping the heat, a leisurely stroll around Siam Paragon shopping centre could be just the ticket. But venture up to the 4th floor and you’ll soon find yourself standing at the gates to the bizarre hell-on-earth that is the California WOW Xperience.

As with many of Bangkok’s ‘trendy’ shopping malls, not many people actually go to Siam Paragon to buy anything. To say that most of the visitors are only there to meet friends, watch a movie or eat at the foodcourt is putting it mildly. The truth is that many more are simply there to show off. If it wasn’t for an abundance of designer sunglasses you’d be able to see the glee in people’s eyes as walkways and escalators melt away to form a giant imaginary catwalk.

It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise then to learn that just as nobody goes to Siam Paragon to shop, nobody goes to California WOW to do any exercise either.

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‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be Thai,’ she says to me, carefully scooping a spoonful of strawberry sorbet from the glass in front of me. ‘But Thai people just don’t like to read books.’

I watch her play with the spoon in her mouth for a moment and take a look around. A group of university students giggle as they listen to a Thai pop song on a mobile phone. A man in his late-twenties shifts his weight in his chair as he turns the pages of a small black and white comic book. Maybe she has a point.

‘What about the bookshops like Asia Books and Kinokuniya in Emporium?’ I ask, trying to sound engaging.

‘C’mon, it’s mostly foreigners who go to those places,’ she replies. ‘It completely goes against Thai people’s nature to sit down for hours on their own and read a book.’

‘What about you?” I continue. “You enjoy reading.”

“Yes, but I’m different.’

‘Hmm.. Maybe you’re right,’ I say, leaning forward to tuck a loose hair behind her ear. ‘But you still stole all my sorbet.’

Popularity: 28% [?]