My Apology, I Was So Wrong!

	I was so excited when I heard that a Thai student actually won the prestigious films award at Cannes Films Festival this year. I thought it was about time we received some positive press after the whole year of negative press because of the political situation. But I was wrong! I thought when you hear the story on Thai TV and other respected newspaper including the English dailies, The Daily Express that the story must be true! I was proved wrong. The truth and thank you Bangkok Post for telling it like it is, here is the direct quote from Kong Rithdee’s Bangkok Post’s article: A Breach of Integrity on Television Let's make the truth clear: Pornpatchaya did not win any award from Cannes and her film was not "officially selected". It was shown in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Market, a trade exhibition in which participants have to pay a registration fee in order to have their movies included. There's no competition, no prizes distributed; her film is not part of the Cannes Film Festival and she's not a "winner at Cannes" as one of the papers splashed across its front page (two days later, it ran a retraction).To use an analogy: To pay your way to have a film in the Film Market is like, say, during the World Cup 2010, you pay a fee so your football team can go to South Africa and play 5-man beach football with some local sides, but you come back to claim that you've competed in the World Cup itself. When Pantip Board was jammed with people wanting to air their disappointments and outrages at the shear nerves of this woman to go on television and tell a half truth in order to have her 15 min. of fame and promote her career. None of the TV channels came out to apologize for not getting their facts straight. Only a few days after did one of the newspapers retract their story and one TV channel, channel 3, re-interviewed Pornpatchaya. Did this Cannes non winner apologize for misleading the press and the public? No! She coolly said that the press misunderstood her use of English and made the assumption that she was talking about Cannes Films Festival when she was referring to the other Cannes! Yes, K Pornpatchaya, you had every opportunity to tell the truth but you chose not to, instead you choose to promote yourself and in doing so lost your integrity and to be honest, the people that called you a liar and a b**ch might actually have a point. What’s wrong with us today’s? Why do we people think taking short cuts to get to the top is OK! I feel really sad and disappointed with Pornpatchaya and her family who must be financially supporting her endeavor! Money can never turn you into the next Spielberg, pure talent does! Money can buy you fifteen minutes of fame but the truth will always come out in the end! What’s even sadder is the fact that she might actually have some talent but who will want to have anything to do with her now, not me! Now you decide for yourself what you think of Pornpatchaya. This clip below was the interview that appeared on TV.
	Right the clip below is sound only but you can listen to how she justified her part of the story. Sadly it's only in Thai!
	Barnum did say that there was one born every minute, right! Count me as one then.

New Hope for Thai Cinema

	There is hope for Thai cinema on the world stage after Ong-Bak, prooving that we are not a one horse wonder. Pornpatchaya Suppannarat entry for the Student Short Films section at Cannes has just won her best film. Revenge Tragedies is a sad tale of Airel who decides to comit suicide after she was raped by her boss then rejected by her lover. A powerful subject that is not easy to portray on screen, yet Kuhn Pornpatchaya has done just that! Pornpatchaya or Chaya for short, comes from a family of film makers. Her mother is the renowned Hollywood casting director for Thailand. So location sets of big budget Hollywood films have been her playgrounds! Her talent is not just behind the camera! At 18, she made her international début as actress in a supporting role as ‘Lan’ in the American film ‘Holly,’ directed by Guy Moshe which starred Ron Livingston and Udo Kier. However, its not her pedigree that impressed me but the fact that she has something worthy to say and is not frightened of saying it! Her exploration of the struggle of Asian females in the twenty first century bypasses the Hollywood norm of prostitutions, sex and scandals for its own sake. In her own words, “Women today are stronger, but they are still made victims by society!" I’m looking forward to seeing her feature length films. Let’s hope that the pressures from commercial producers who can only see $’s and aping Hollywood big budget films as how to make $’s don’t get to her so that she manages to stay true to her art and mature into greatness! We can soon see her first feature length directorial début in Sahamongkol Film’s Botrian Ruedu Nao (Winter Experience) written by Yuthalert Sippapak. She said that it’s a cross between the story of Nampu and Loke Thung Bai Hai Nai Khon Diaw (Romantic Blues).
	Here is the trailer of Holly, I can't find a trailer of Revenge Tragedies yet but when I do I'll post it up. Holly looks intriguing but so Hollywood in articulation!

Remember Those Days: Maana Maanee Piti Chuujai

	Nostalgia attacks me out of the blue when I read a Thai topic in pantip.com http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/topic/A7885426/A7885426.html It’s about a Thai study guide for elementary school students called ‘Maana Maanee Piti Chuujai’ A weird name. Right? The book’s name simply comes from four main characters in the book. It’s strange that the book was nothing to me back then when I was an elementary school girl. My only feeling for it was that it was sooo heavy for my small body when I had to carry it, together with other text books, with me every morning to school. It’s even more strange that now I miss it dearly. I miss Manee, the girl main character of the book, her brother Mana, and their dog Chao Dho. I miss Chuujai, Manee’s best friend and her cat See Thao. I miss its vivid color cover. I miss the page that I dropped my milk on it. I miss the funny story that made me feel more like reading fiction rather than text book. I owe them a lot. Without them, I can’t read, nor write. And they turned my boring Thai class into something fun and entertaining. Thanks a lot. Maana, Maanee and the gang for being my lifeless yet lively friends. Note: ‘Maana Maanee Piti Chuujai’ is an illustrated book series used as a Thai study handbook for elementary school during 1978 – 1994. The story is composed by a teacher Ratchanee Sripraiwan and the illustrations are provided by Khun Trium Chachumphon, a well-known cartoonist from Chaipruk Cartoon.

On Suthichai’s Neutrality Trap

Suthichai Yoon wrote in the Nation column’s Thai talk, dated May 20, raised many eyebrows across Thai blogs world. It made a very interesting reading indeed and he did make many valid points. If you haven’t read this then you should: When 'neutrality' means that fact and fiction get mixed up. But it’s worth reading this counter from New Mandala by Nicholas Farrelly too.


What do you think? Has Thai journalists trapped themselves in the quagmire of views and opinions to stay neutral? Here is what I think.

What Suthichai Yoon has to say cast an interesting shadow on Thai society and on the media magnet, himself! However, rhetorical speech is one thing but they do say, don’t they that action speaks louder than words. So come on Mr Yoon, show us what you mean. Why not let your journalists practice what you preach.

Any way, when did the Nation ever told it like it is! OK Mr. Yoon, I’m only jesting! Sometimes the Nation comes up with real gems when the subject isn’t about Thaksin.

Its all right to write an essay on the state of journalism today’s as long as it remains just that an essay to be discussed, chewed over or spat at. However, when a media magnet the like of Suthichai wrote and published it in his newspaper, that makes a difference right! What do you think?

I have to give Mr. Yoon some credit and admit that he raised concerns that we all shared since the Songkran incident. I had never seen such media frenzy! Yet nothing of worth was reported! Instead we had “what he said and what she said” type of reporting which was reactive and stirred up more feelings than calm. The only thing left to go on was the actual footage of incidents or photographs to establish facts but even that got heavily edited.

Responsible reporting as Mr. Yoon has pointed out requires presenting both sides of the stories and allowing the viewers to make up their minds. It does not mean equal air time. It means reporters having the intelligence to report both sides of the stories fairly accurately. It means training reporters to do more than just stand in front of the camera and look the part! We watch the news programs not for eye candy or for entertainment values! OK occasional farce does liven up my life!

What we need to address is how we can educate the unsophisticated media audience on having informed views. We need to show them how to receive news, created by all media and how to reserve judgments until all views have been aired then they can choose to make decisions as in what to believe.

Thailand still has a huge gap between the educated and the uneducated. The mass can easily be exploited by the mass media! Even worse is when the rich and powerful play dirty and use the media to fight their causes but this is not only a Thai media thing but world media. As long as the rich can still buy views, opinions to make them look good then only education is the key to free our minds!

I look forward to the days when politics get discussed at school on the same par as Korean pop stars, Jonas Brothers, Eyelash extensions and children are encouraged to be politically proactive. After all their future is this country’s future and we adults need to see that. Innocence does not mean ignorant. Politic isn’t something only boring serious grown ups talk about but our everyday lives and their future.

Excellent Excuse for Girls to Wear Make-up

• Transparent brush. Foam all over.


• Small pot under eyes, dimple, creases, blend in.


• Clinique. Super balanced make-up. All over again, like painting a wall, and ears. Shut eyes over lids then with make-up pad smooth over liquid.


• Powder (dark brush) terracotta Guerlain, all over. (from www.guardian.co.uk)

Above looks like steps that you girls put on make-up every morning. It’s a combination of surprise and hilarity to know that the above make-up instructions are for no one but British leader Gordon Brown. The note was left on a taxi by one of his staffs. (I keep my finger cross for that staff.)

Many thanks to Gordon Brown and especially to the forgetful staff. Now that I have a good excuse for FAQ from men: why women have to wear make-up?

Thanks for photo from www.guardian.co.uk

Not a Thailand Tourist Guide You've Seen in Market!

	It’s a real pleasure for your heart and soul to once in your life experience the beauty of Thai’s tourist attractions. I’m not biased! Phang Nga Bay of Thailand is ranked no.3 by Andrew Harper as the most wonderful place to visit. However, some of you might be afraid to even set your little toes of your foot in our country if you saw the political-protest-turn-violence that happened last week. But this guide will help make your trip in Thailand unforgetable. This is the most important rule. Take it as your survival guide in Thailand. Red and Yellow clothes are taboo in Thailand. Avoid bringing such color outfits to my country. I’m serious! No more red and blue in the opposite corner. Us Thais have yellow VS red. You might find yourself an object of destruction if you wear the taboo colors. Apart from bringing sunscreen to protect your skin, do bring a bulletproof vest as well. Your life far worths protecting than your skin. Anything bad and fatal can emerge if you happen to be near the protest area. Before you book a hotel, remember that it shouldn’t be the venue that can hold Asean Summit. Or your peaceful night will be ruined by some group of people who violently trespass the hotel. Have a direct flight to Thailand? It’s not a good idea at all. I suggest that you land in neigbourhood countries of Thailand first then cross to Thai’s border by car. Our Suvannabhumi is not only international and modern airport but it’s also a place that protesters can held hostage. You probably find yourself stuck in the airport for weeks if you don’t listen to this advice. Public transportation, especially bus and taxi may not be a convenient way to get around Bangkok. Some taxi drivers stop working because they’re engaged in the protest. And some bus had been burnt by protesters. You don’t want to be on the bus. Right? You still have Tuk-Tuk, BTS, and MRT to be your option though. Hope you enjoy the trip in the Land of Smile and still be alive!

Boku to issho: Together with Me

	Yuya Yakira pulled it off when he portrayed a life of abandoned boy who has to take care of his silblings alone in 2004 Japanese drama film Nobody Knows. This earned him Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival 2004. If you’re still impressed with Yakira’s talent and the heartbreaking film, you’ll also enjoy Boku to issho or Together with Me, a Japanese comic by Minoru Furuya. But there’re few surprises for you to expect. First of all, the comic is ultimately hilarious and sad at the same time. While the story is loosely camouflaged by funny drawings and some stupid happenings, it still portrays a struggling life of orphans who try to survive on their own. It will make you laugh and cry simultaniously. Then, the drawings alone can make you laugh your ass out. You can’t help but burst out laughing if you get a chance to see quirky faces of each character. A round of applause and standing ovation for Minoru Furuya who make the over-reacted facial expression of these characters, my private laughing stock. Hilarity aside, I think this comic is a clear mirror reflecting our society nowadays, not only in Japan but our society in general. It’s so sad to learn that one thing that some take it for granted is parental responsibility. That’s why we still have children like notorious boy Keigo Sato and other orphans to prove this statement. See Boku to Issho with your own eyes here: http://www.mangafox.com/manga/boku_to_issho/v01/c001/24.html
	Thanks for photos from www.geocities.com/chas_kit/