1. Connectchatroom
Editor
,
s note
44 April 21,2014
YYOOUU OONNLLYY LLIIVVEE OONNCCEE
I came across this inspirational quote on a blog recently: “You are born, and then you
die; but in between you can do anything you want. It is society that creates rules for us,
but you can break out of that.”
This gave me motivation to start living without being concerned about what other
people think. Nowadays we pay attention to what society thinks of us more than what we
think of ourselves. Throughout our life choices, it is our own selves who face the
consequences — not the people who told us what our lives were “supposed” to be. You
only live once, so why waste it living other people’s dreams?
Chaba Charoensak, Bangkok
That’s a pretty good philosophy of life, Chaba. As an individual, you are free to do
anything you want. It’s important to know that some things you might want to do
society tends to frown on.You’re still free to do them, but there might be consequences
to your actions. But I know that you’re not advocating doing anything illegal or immoral
— you’re more interested in what Joseph Campbell called“following your bliss.”That
basically means doing what makes you happy and fulfilled helps you have a satisfying
life. I think that if more of us did that, it would be a happier, more peaceful world. —
Editor
PPIICCKK-UUPP AARRTTIISSTT
I had a really good time during Songkran
this year. My friends and I went out, riding
in the back of a pick-up with a big barrel
of water.We splashed people as we drove
around our neighbourhood.
Don’t worry, though.We did not drive
fast, and nobody was drinking alcohol.
After dark, we were tired, so we all
went to my friend’s house to clean up.
After that we ate food and played games.
It was a very enjoyable time for all of us.
Montien Nimsawad, Bangkok
I’m glad that you had a good time, Montien. I’m also glad that you made it through the
festivities in one piece. Riding in the back of a pick-up can be pretty dangerous. Back
home, it’s illegal, and the cops are sure to give you a ticket if they see you doing it.That
being said, there are a lot of things I see here that are pretty dangerous, and most people
get away with doing them. As long as the driver and the passengers are careful, I don’t
think it’s that big a deal. I always hate seeing people in the back of trucks as they’re
whizzing down the expressway, though.That’s just crazy. — Editor
PhotoscourtesyofBangkokPost/NewYorkTimes/EPA
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Letter of the week
Iend up spending a lot of time each week on the
Skytrain and the subway. I don't do it because I
enjoy doing it — I do it because I need to get to
work. I'm grateful that the BTS and MRT exist.
Getting around this city without them takes forever.
I've been riding mass transit in this city for a long
time. I even remember riding it when there weren't
TV screens on every platform and train, blaring con-
stant advertising at me. Ah, those were the days. It
was a simpler time when all you had to worry about
was being shoved into the person next to you or hav-
ing your pocket picked. Good times.
But now every commute involves the constant
visual and audio din from speakers and screens. I
usually try to drown it out with my headphones, but I
have to turn my mp3 player up to nearly ear-bleeding
levels just to drown out the ads.
I will say that my mass-transit trips are the only
time I really see commercials anymore. I don't watch
cable, and broadcast TV is so laughably terrible that
I can only stand it for a few minutes. But on the
train, I'm a captive audience. And the advertisers
know it.
Recently I was reminded how monumentally
dumb commercials can be. There's currently an ad
campaign for a very well known, red-labeled soft
drink. In the ads, celebrities take a drink of said cola
and seem utterly astonished by how delicious it is.
The ad is asking consumers (that's you and me) to
actually believe that these folks are tasting the No. 1
soft drink in the world for the first time. And that
it's delicious!
The merits, taste-wise, of the soft drink aside, I
have a really hard time believing that any of the peo-
ple in that ad are tasting it for the first time. I find it
more believable that the guy who eats the fish sand-
wich featured in a different ad actually has his head
transform into a fish.
More than the noise and visual assault, it's the
condescension to the viewer that I dislike the most.
If you want to convey the deliciousness and refresh-
ment that your product has to offer, there are better
ways of doing it than to have an actor stare in dumb-
struck amazement at this astounding thing he's just
put into his face hole. Yuk.
But I suppose if some annoying ads are the worst
thing that I have to deal with on my commute, I'm
actually pretty lucky. Now if only people would stop
shoving me and trying to pick my pockets.
Sean Vale
Editor
seanv@bangkokpost.co.th
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2. INSPIRATIONAL (adj):
providing a reason why
somebody creates or
does something
MOTIVATION (n):
the reason why
somebody does
something or behaves in
a particular way
CONSEQUENCE (n):
a result of something
that has happened
PHILOSOPHY (n):
a set of beliefs or an
attitude to life that
guides somebody’s
behaviour
FROWN ON (phrasal v):
to disapprove of
somebody or something
IMMORAL (adj):
not considered to
be good or honest by
most people
WHIZ (v):
to move very quickly
LINEAGE (n):
the series of families
that somebody is
descended from
ANALYSIS (n):
the detailed study or
examination of some-
thing in order to under-
stand more about it
IDIOM
in one piece: safe; not
damaged or hurt
April 21,2014 55
have your say A
Vocabulary
PPOOEETTRRYY IINN MMOOTTIIOONN
Hooray! I got a summer break after studying hard throughout this long
semester. For this semester, I decided to take two literature classes:
Shakespeare’s Works and Masterpieces of World Literature. I had to read
many books in a very short time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish those
books because I’m a slow reader. It took me almost two hours to finish a
chapter. Do you have any technique to improve speed-reading skills? I
hope my skill will increase in the next semester.
Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays that I had to read.
It’s about the royal family of England. Richard was the king of England at
that time, and he killed every person in his lineage such as
his wife, brothers and nephews.The story seemed to be a tragedy. I think I prefer
reading comedy or romance to tragedy.
Nujamee Ngasakul, Bangkok
I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare, Nujamee. I’ve seen nearly every play
performed live, and I enjoy seeing the various movie versions of his
plays.The language takes some getting used to, but it’s really
beautifully written and well worth the effort. If you’re interested in
continuing your study of the Bard’s works, I strongly suggest finding
a copy of Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare, by Issac Asimov. It’s a
really wonderful guide and analysis of every play and poem. And it’s
relatively easy and fun to read. As for improving your reading speed,
the best thing that you can do is keep reading as much as you can. As
with everything, reading takes practise.The more you do it, the better
you get. Keep in mind, though, that different people read at different
speeds.You may never read as fast as some other people.That’s OK. — Editor
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