Thai opinion: Things to remember for 2014

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STOPPAGE TIME
Things to remember for 2014
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Nobody should want to read anything too serious today, which suits me nicely. Moreover, a lot of thrills and anxiety and depression should come in leaps and bounds next year. So, let's enjoy the festivity while we can and recap 2014 in a not-so-downhearted manner.

How can we best define the year that’s ending? "Setback" sounds like a cliche and so do "Crossroads", "Big lesson", "Break from democracy" and etc. My take is "Fast." That can be the biggest cliche of all but the truth is that Yingluck Shinawatra remained prime minister last Christmas, having dissolved the House of Representatives for just two weeks, and the unprecedented Thais-against-Thais battle over whether we should have an election before reform or vice versa was yet to really begin.

Fast that it was, 2014 has had many best and memorable moments. Here are my picks:

The best quote of the year is "I’m sorry, but I have to do it." If you don’t remember who said it, there is a bunch of people who will never forget anything about that statement. Some of them surely didn’t believe Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was really sorry to have to stage the May 22 coup and they must have had good reasons to suspect that his initiation of "peace talks" was meant to be a trap.

The social media celeb of the year can be none other than "Nong Laila", who cursed her way to online stardom after a malicious thief - or it could be a very hungry dog - stole her chicken and sticky rice. Other popular clips of the year - one featuring a very angry man on board an airplane and another involving two very angry car drivers - paled in comparison. There are more distant candidates for biggest social media star like an angry women who couldn’t stand two girls who were kissing on the BTS, and a man who became very angry after getting filmed while parking in a spot he wasn’t supposed to park.

(So, if you want to give it a shot next year, act very very angry whenever a smartphone is trained on you. Curse. Be rude. Lay bare your nastiest side. Remember, a warm, sincere smile won’t get you very far.)

The sports figure of the year is not Charyl Chappuis whom many Thai ladies want to eat alive, but his coach. "Zico" Kiatisuk Senamuang turned much-maligned Thai footballers into a force to be reckoned with. He was reported to be an inspirational and meticulous football manager and seems to be doing what Kevin Keegan, Roy Keane and Mark Hughes can’t - proving that a damned good footballer can become a damned good coach, too.

The chorus (or lip-sync chorus to be exact) of the year was produced and delivered by Channel 3 at the heights of its showdown with broadcasting and telecom regulators. The show brought together all famous news faces of Channel 3 and was aimed at seeking public understanding for something that very few people really understand.

The digital TV station of the year is a title that is waiting for the winner. It has been a bumpy, rocky and slippery start for everyone. Imagine a 400 meter race where all runners get off to a flying start only to stumble all over the place after 200 meters. Channel 3’s tug of war with the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission over who can remain "analog" or who should give up "analog" did not help.

The best IT development of the year is the short-lived hype of, and relatively lukewarm reaction to, iPhone 6. Fingers crossed, but that’s a great sign in my book, a declaration of independence from all the manufacturers who think they can rob everyone blind with just a little bigger screen. (Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have bought it, because you can always laugh at those who buy iPhone 7 next year or so.)

The best heroic moment (of a celebrity) has to be former Miss Thailand Panadda Wongphude’s rescue of a Thai girl from a brothel in Bahrain. When heroism is concerned, few things beat helping a person in great distress and giving that person a new life. That’s what Panadda did. She did not do a Lora Croft, instead using repeated and persuasive phone calls and social networks, but the end result is that a human trafficking victim was set free.

The most entertaining news source is a Facebook page updated regularly by a mysterious "E-jeab Liabthangduan". The gossip page’s language is unbelievably rude but it gives you a fun, sometimes jaw-dropping review of what’s up. Mind you, not everyone likes it, and many visitors have attacked the page religiously, but, like I say, rudeness seems like the way to go nowadays when instant online successes are concerned.

The best alternative to taxis is the controversial Uber system, which gives application users access to unconventional "taxis" that are members of the network. Pros and cons have been debated, but anything at all that draws attention to the misery caused by mainstream taxis certainly has its merits.

There, my take on 2014’s memorable persons, moments or incidents. Whether they are the same as or different from yours, Merry Christmas.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Things-to-remember-for-2014-30250487.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-24

[FangFerang]

Okay. I am underwhelmed.

[Fiddlesticks]

Let's see, things to remember for 2014:

• Where did I put those damn car keys.
• Where did all that rice go and who misplaced it.
• Why did I let myself get hooked on reading TV all the time.
• Where are those car keys. . . did I say that already?
• When was the last time Thailand was a democracy.
• When was the last time Thailand did anything to attract quality tourists.
• When was the last time I was not stressed out driving in Thailand.
• When was the last time I had to wait more than 10 minutes to get my 90 day checkin completed (one of the benefits of living in the hills of Chiang Rai rather than the more exciting CM)
• When was the last time I had a good steak.
• Where are those *&@ damn car keys ! ! !
• Why did I even start writing this!

Anyway, feel free to add your fondest memories of 2014!

[ggt]

Remember that in 2014 Thailand proudly brought us the "Edible insect capitol of the world"..."Weekend holiday honoring the chicken egg"...and oh yes..."porcelain toilets...I could not be more proud right now...you go Thailand...