ThUnknown

Unspeakable, Unthinkable

[aurajchat]

ความตายไม่ได้นำมาซึ่งความทุกข์ เราทุกข์เพราะเราเห็นผู้เป็นที่รักเจ็บและความตายได้ปลดปล่อยเขาอันนำมาซึ่งความโล่งใจ The Death didn't bring the sadness. We're sufferring because we saw our dearest people going to die. The death has just released them and we are relieved. #2016dead

[aurajchat]

Farangs' nature: common personality of British people.

A personality of British people they told me (not my comment) is 'reserved' - slow to reveal emotion and opinion. They are hardly ever seen to have friendly talk with other people whom they never know before. (Yeah, someone may look conceited, kind of.) With this description, don't be surprised when you met Farang for the first time, you might feel uncomfortable. Don't be amazed in that those foreigners seem to be passive because they never know anything about you before, right? (At least, someone, based on my experience, had just shaken his head with a bit smile. That's it) At the end of the day, my English teacher told me that if they know you well, you will always be their friend. Their sincerity will be yours as long as the friendship exists.

[aurajchat]

The Tone in Thai language

For foreigners, the most confusing grammar in Thai language is 'tone'. Basically, there are five tones as followed: 1. mid tone, represented by mid sign e.g ā. 2. low tone, represented by low sign e.g à. 3. falling tone, represented by falling sign e.g â. 4. high tone, represented by high sign e.g á. 5. rising tone, represented by rising sign e.g ă. These signs will help learners understood Thai tone correctly. Foreigners whom I used to coach can distinguish the sound and learn more Thai vocabularies.

[aurajchat]

Thais' anxiety over English speaking.

There are some guys worried about expression in English, particularly when you spoke to native speakers. You might feel shy and lack of confidence to chat with them, so called Farang-Phobia (โรคกลัวฝรั่ง). :D Well, I think it is reasonable in that you are always scared of foreigners because we are barely with them, either at home or at work. But, you know, as far as I can tell, most native speakers in Thailand and, of course, somes in abroad never care or notice what you had just said would have some fault. It is okay as long as they can get your meaning after all. However, another big problem is you were too anxious when you had practised with your friends who use English as a second language. "Ya know..nothing perfect, even native speakers with everyday life language. Just use correct words, speak slowly with clear sound, see?. Don't worry if you friend will find fault with what you said." In quotation mark, this is an example of freely expression without any concerns in correct grammar and structure. If you care, you would say... "Well, I think there is nothing perfect, even native speakers who are always speak with everyday life language. You just have to use correct words and speak slowly with clear pronunciation. Do you understand? So, don't worry whether or not your friends will find fault with the way you said." Yeah, it seems more formal and has better organised structure, but you know there are few native speakers would say like this in general conversation. So, dare to talk.

[aurajchat]

The gap in English study of Thai learners.

"AEC is coming." - it is likely to be a major mythical quote of Thais for the next five years approximately in that they must tremendously adapt themselves into new changes such as works, culture, education and people from adjacent countries whom will often be seen in our country, particularly Bangkok, in the future. The big concern, first and foremost, which Thai people must inevitably get used to is the communicating to all foreigners with second language, mostly English.

So many years as a learner and an instructor, despite just a year experience in this role :), of the language, I have been noticed that there are some problems in Thais’ English learning that could lead to non-accomplishment in practical term. It is quite a paradoxically problematic in the curriculum of English study that I would like to discuss.

For several years as the learner, I have seen that most students have mainly learnt just grammar, grammar and grammar. Of course, there is only grammar the most, besides the basic sentences, phrases, and vocabulary taught in elementary school. Teachers sometimes would plus the lessons in part of sophisticated structure and academic vocabulary, which are very crucial for the entrance exam, when the students had studied at high-school level. However, these programmes just have students remember how to spelling, what is the meaning and the kind of structure without practically repetitive usages with/like native speakers. It seems like you just looked at a piece of jigsaw, but never complete it with another ones. It could be said this learning style has been applied since my generation ,and now, the children of the Internet generation, it is still important in the study.

Nevertheless, even though most children nowadays still have been studying the same English subject as I was, there is another promising lesson that, in my opinion, could so much upgrade their skills. It is the curriculum of how to sound like native speakers, also known as phonetics or phonics (N.Amer.). Obviously, in my generation, I had never learnt it earlier so that, after learning rigorously, I found out that it is a very fundamentally vital skill. In other words, it looks like Thai people must know the sound of Thai consonant and vowel if they want to know how to speak and listen Thai correctly. It is basically the same way as well in which the students could learn how to pronounce the word by potentially making the sound and accent like native speakers. What is more, phonetics and phonics will help learners in part of listening as I strongly believe that you cannot improve your listening skill unless you speak out correctly. I would illustrate that it is such a kind of mindset. As an example, ‘city’ in Thai accent is so different from the mother-tongue accent. Thais mostly pronounce with the high-tone of the last sound, ‘ty’ ,whist the correct pronunciation of this word is ‘siti. If you still have the wrong pronunciation, it mean that you have the incorrect mindset when you listen to a conversation and certainly you will never catch it.

Yet, when I turn to be instructor, I found that the lack of consistency in practice and use of English language and the ignorance of students on basic skills have resulted in the failure. On account of the exam, they would commonly and separately put their mind to just grammar and vocabulary instead. In the test, the paper has already provided some options for the students to pick up the best one. There is no task to examine speaking and writing skill which require those knowledge in each part integrated altogether with learners’ imagination.

In conclusion, it seems to me that, in Thailand, the more the learners have studied in English grammar and more advanced vocabulary, the more skills they have lost (the one probably remained is remembering-skill) to advocate their expression in everyday life conversation. What a paradox! For one thing I could leave a solution for my readers, one of the best ways in which you can learn English proficiently by yourself is constituting the context from what you have learnt. Writing down a few sentences based on the new vocabulary you have just learnt, and then speaking it out or discussing with your partner or teacher as soon as possible are a practical basis to progress your skills, for example.

[aurajchat]

SET Thailand - - amen.

[aurajchat]

The Night before Chinese New Year. Test sharing on Tumblr

[aurajchat]

Valentine 2011

I used to know a girl, actually a woman :P. I have a memory with her in late winter in 2011 when I visited Chiang Mai at the first time alone.

The second wind of winter had come again in that month. I went to see her as my heart had pushed me on over and over. Apparently, I had met her a few times earlier and our relation grew better, so this might be the best time, I can recall, in Chiang Mai.

She then was an ordinary girl — lovely, lively, charming. I love to listen to her dialect because, apart from conversation in telly, I have hardly ever heard this language. I think it is very cute for me who has Thai mid-region accent.

As far as I can recall, I ridiculously took time to buy a bunch of flowers for her. I don’t know why I did it because I never do any things like this with other girls before. Anyways, I can be relieved by her say-thank-you, she love it, I guessed :P.

I believe it is one of the best memories in this province. We had spent time for a few days; she took me traveling some places in Chiang Mai and, finally, I still recall her eyes when I had to come back home. I cannot explain how it feels, but I never forget that eyes and that moment.

Two year later, we’re still friend but our intimacy between us might have be faded as time gone by. I must go abroad and she has growing up to be a woman, so much more beautiful and, of course, there might be a lot of guys coming in her life. And yes, I am ultimately just a guy who just comes and goes.

Valentine in 2013: I just wanna say that February of this year bring me back then, the happy day when the friendship occurred. I would say that I never forgot her eyes when she looked at me at that time and I am so longing to see it again. “Time’s changed, people’ve changed.” — however — is truth. I obviously cannot bring it back. The best thing I can do is just closing my eye and I will see her again, a little girl with dental braces. I just wish her happy and successful in her career. Some day she might be a star as she always dreams about. God bless you.

[aurajchat]

A wise man said "...don't believe what the people said, but what they've done..."

The election for a Bangkok governor coming up on 3rd March 2013 has been kept an eye by both Thai and foreigner media. Most of them believe that it is going to be the battle between the representative of Pheu Thai Party and Democrat Party’s one. One of many interesting policies of Pongsapat, Pheu Thai’s representative, is the encouragement to use social media of Bangkok natives, known as the concept: the city of social media. As my point of view, I feel there is a hidden agenda in the message, especially the visual, that involves and supports the red-shirt’s political discourse.

Democratic ideology is reproduced again in some extents. In fact, it is not the new thing since it is the political standing point claimed by both red-shirt and its opponents. However, according to the message in the clip, Pongsapat has asserted democratic acts can be built up on the sphere of social media, and depicted by the collaboration of the Internet users so it is the same as the expression upon democracy in the real world. It could be a kind of political tactic which will reinforce legitimacy to any actions based on the democratic ideology.

To illustrate this, if this campaign succeeds, a number of pages and contents on social media which are against the opponents' discourses will be increased. The hidden message in Pongsapat's idea will encourage the right of free speech in that the red-shirt dominants would be able to cultivate hatred into their supporters' mind and others Thais easily. As we already know, some people believe most of the Internet users in Thailand currently is red-shirt supporters and, referring to current situation, social media is widely used in order to construct the contents which criticise the main institutes of Thai society - the royal and religious one. It is very popular because it is easy to use and hardly to find out the source of contents. People can say whatever they want (at least, for a while before being reported). Although there are many people who disagree with them attempting to report and urging ICT Ministry to do anything with those pages on Facebook for example, it seems that there is no intensive response from it, or even the government. There are just a few pages closed, but the most critiques on the social network and the Internet still keep going on. It might be said that Pongsapat's campaign has some agenda pushing up the change (so we need the big question mark: for whom? For Bangkokian...really?) based on democracy in the context of socio-technology.

You might think I am too much worried about it but you can consider it by yourself in this video clip. At the early of it, Pongsapat stated the belief: social media changing the world, along with the motion of demonstrations such as Arab Spring. I do believe that most Thais already know those riots happened in Egypt and other muslim countries but just some never know that social media is one of the main factors of these movements in Arab World. It could potentially be also a factor of political change in Thailand as far as I concerned.

In conclusion, this Pongsapat's campaign, the city of social media, could make Bangkok much more united with communication technology and democratic ideology but it seems to me a new political strategy by Pheu Thai Party. It is such a first step of the mind game played on the virtual environment that ultimately could set the radical undercurrent in our society which is not only in Bangkok, but also in other area where the Internet technology can reach.

[aurajchat]

My first writing in tumblr

Hello, I’m from Thailand. Aurajchat is not my real name but it is my common username used in social network. I found Tumblr app in the apple store a few days ago. Initially, I was supposed it is like facebook, but, after I had found out its information from the Internet, it is obviously a kind of blogging app. Admittedly, I am not good in English writing due to the fact that English is my second language. Though I wish I am able to write more and more, whatever I want.