Everything today bills itself as “modern” or contemporary. Could you define what “modern” means in the context of this exhibit?
It’s the usual thing. Boys from good families go abroad to study and come back with a taste for what’s fashionable at the time. In this case, it was modernism. Bangkok in the 60s, 70s and 80s had a lot of buildings in the modernist idiom. The primary colors, exposed concrete, structural debates were all there. But the issues were peculiarly Thai. Which is why we call the architecture of the period “modern Thai”, and not “Thai modern”. You can see this clearly in the show at TCDC.

Compared to other regional capitals, how rich is Bangkok in modern buildings and exactly how many are featured in the exhibit?
Bangkok’s very rich, I think. Ironically, we have the economic policies of the late dictator Field Marshal Sarit to thank for this architectural legacy. The 60s were a period of business growth and industrialization, leading to new city lifestyles, new tycoons eager to show off their corporate success, and new architects and engineers with modernist dreams. A panel of senior architects from the Association of Siamese Architects Under Royal Patronage helped us select 11 buildings for the show.

Furniture from that era has been selling like hot cakes in Bangkok. Why is it so hot?
Well, history shows us that design goes round and round in circles. Semantics aside, the past is always “out”, but retro is always “in”. We live in a world which assaults us with conflicting images, values and contexts. So we have to reinterpret the past, to make sense of the present.

What are some of the early modern buildings in Bangkok that face destruction? Is this exhibit also a call to conservation?
Building 9 of the Panabhandhu School on Ladphrao Road, a classic of Ongard Satrabhandhu’s, has already been torn down in fact. It’s one of my favorites, and a clear homage to Le Corbusier. Khun Pongkwan Sukwattana Lassus, has been campaigning for the preservation ofmodern Thai architecture for some time now. And perhaps the city is ready to hear her call.

Do you think Bangkok is a beautiful city?
Bangkok is pretty ugly I think. But that is precisely our charm. We don’t pretend to be anything other than our own chaotic self. So we manage to transcend ugliness, because we’re genuine. But, given the reality of global warming and shrinking energy resources, I think we need to pay attention to the fact that we live in the tropics. The modern Thai architects in the show were much more progressive in this sense. They studied seasonal wind flows and sun patterns, so they could orient the buildings for maximum comfort and minimum energy wastage. I hope people will at least get this point from the show.

Ever get water-paralysis at 7-Eleven? All these bottles claiming to contain the exact same thing but with different labels and prices…but do they really? Is there a difference between them? We decided to get to the bottom of this slippery issue with one of our legendary taste tests (blind tasting by a panel, seven experts strong) on eight bottles of the most essential, most life-sustaining, most indispensable element: H20.

Namthip

Price: B5.5 / 0.6L
The label: “A quality product of The Coca-Cola Company” reads this yawner (complete with the usual consumer hotlines and stereotypical blue wavy watery designs).
The taste: Relatively low marks all around. It had a funny smell, and the taste wasn’t much better. Maybe yucky water is their way of getting us to drink more Coke.

PureLife

Price: B5.5 / 0.6L
The label: The label on this one is very busy—there’s a big “0.6L” box, two consumer hotlines, a website and a lot of chat (“Did you know your brain is 85% water?”). Hey, no need to be insulting.
The taste: It tastes “pure,” in one expert’s words, and we swear this was a blind test. All in all, it garnered no complaints.

Singha

Price: B6 / 0.5L
The label: Not much going on. Fine if you like lions, we suppose.
The taste: Just like the label, there’s really not much to this water. We tasted, then tried and tried to think of something, anything, to no avail. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. No taste = perfect for whisky.

Aura

Price: B8 / 0.6L - Most Expensive!
The label: Tipco’s water is “100% Natural Cold Spring Mineral Water” from Mae Rim mountain. There’s a whole speech on what a great, natural place that is. But read the find print: close inspection of the list of minerals (no amounts here either) reveals no zinc (which is good for you), but it does have silica (pretty harmless), chloride (chlorine) and nitrate (a common and potentially harmful water contaminant).
The taste: Slightly sweet, but otherwise OK.

Green Fresh

Price: B5 / 0.5L
The label: It has a slick diagram with Green Fresh’s four-step purification process.
The taste: Green Fresh may be a bit too purified (if that’s possible). Tastes like what you’d get from a water dispenser.

Minere

Price: B6.5 / 0.5L
The label: It’s a Nestle product that looks imported but is only “guaranteed by Perrier Vittel France.” The source is in Pho Sam Ton. Eight minerals are listed, but, again, no amounts.
The taste: A full-bodied, mineral taste that was very satisfying. This water could even stand up to Isaan food, one taster claimed. - Best Tasting!

Crystal

Price: B5.5 / 0.6L
The label: Giant “Crystal” logos with splashing water make it clear this product is water, period.
The taste: Melted ice with a touch of swimming pool.

TOPS

Price: B5 / 0.6L - Cheapest!
The label: There’s a fancy picture of a leaf with fat drops of water on it. The use of green is a nice break from the usual blue and white, and the fonts are pretty slick. Processed by ultraviolet and ozone, whatever that means.
The taste: It’s cheap, it’s pretty, and it’s by far and without a doubt our least favorite—bitter, tap-like, and similar to those milky six baht bottles. You could just see our experts’ faces scrunching up at the very first sip. -Yukkiest too!

Mongolian artist Monkhor Erdenebayar—a.k.a. Bayar—is having his solo exhibition, Red Horses of Mongolia, at the ARTrium, MICA Building—hosted by Teo + Namfah Gallery of Bangkok. His preoccupation is with the energy of horses, which he conveys through form and color—especially red. Part of the proceeds from the sale of Bayar's paintings will help fund an art scholarship in Mongolia. We speak to him about his works.

Why did you become an artist?
I grew interested in art as a child. I think all children like painting. After art school, I was drawn towards contemporary styles of painting. I tried these and made several abstract works, but soon realized I wasn't as interested in this as I had thought. So I tried to find my own style, exploring widely before I found inspiration in Mongolian lifestyle and traditions.

Why red horses?
I like animals. I tried many others—even camels—but for the last 14 years I've been painting only horses. Red is a color that gives energy. As for horses, they connect people to nature.

Do you own horses?
Yes. I've had horses since I was a child. There are 11 horses per person in Mongolia.

Some say that if you look at the horse in the painting, it will look back at you. Is that true?
Well, Mongolians believe the horse is like an eight-year-old child. It can do many things and feel many emotions. But whatever the painted horse looks at depends on the viewer and how he relates to the painting.

If horses are a symbol of Mongolia, are your paintings about Mongolia as a nation?
The audience should have some feeling for the cultural origin of a work of art and anyone can guess my paintings come from Central Asia. But my art is not really concerned with giving messages.—Susaji Puranasamriddhi

Respondents were

Female 41% Male 59%

Are you good in bed?

Looks like people are happy with themselves. But this begs the question:
is how good you think you are any indication of how good you are?

I consider myself

How many people have you had sex with?

When did you first have sex?

How experienced do you like your partners?

Thai males are the most radical about their preferences on this topic, with fewer of them ticking “No preference” (32%) than the other two cities (42-52%). It’s good to see roughly half of them prefer a confident woman to a clueless girl, but there are still 14% of Thai guys who want to feel like they’re the first one.

Ever had sex with a co-worker?

Yes you did.
HK - 39%
SG - 33%
TH - 40%

Believe in love at first sight?

Yes you do.
Female - 52%
Male - 62%

How often do you do it?

If you’ve got a big appetite, it sure sucks being in the Lion City. A mere 2% of Singaporeans get it on a daily basis. There are three times more people in that lucky (or plain sex-addicted) bracket in Hong Kong and Bangkok. If you look at the “number of partners” statistics, twice as many Thais (20%) have lost count as Singaporeans. Looks like we live in the right city when it comes to getting some.

How long have you gone without getting any?

There’s a surprisingly tight bracket for the number of virgins among Singaporeans and Hong Kongians of both genders and Thai women (5-6%). And then, you have Thai males. Only 1% admit to never having gotten any. Liars or truly getting more action? At the other end of the sexual universe, there are 46% of Thailand’s males who never go for more than a month without a shag (HK: 38%, SG: 43%). As for girls, it’s the Singaporeans who have the most regular habits with a full 35% who have never spent an action-less month compared to a mere 19% here (HK: 24%).

Pet Names For Your Partner’s Genitalia

Many of you were shocked that we could even ask this question, calling us immature, telling us to get a life, or just expressing that the very idea of giving a cute little moniker to your partner’s privates has you on the verge of throwing up. Actually, upon reading the answers some of you gave, one realizes there really are things best kept a bedroom secret.

Foreplay

Uh-oh. The Thai female needs to warm up more than any other in the region with 61% warning that you’re not getting any if you don’t take things slowly (HK: 53%, SG: 38%). It’s not exactly a match made in heaven with 6.6% of Thai males who consider the whole thing an ordeal but 65% are fine either way and 29% even request foreplay).

Ever had sex with someone you met online?

Male - 33%
Female - 20%

Ever cheated on someone?

Ever been cheated on?

Why did you cheat on your partner?

Would you have sex to advance your career?

Is your partner happy with his/her sex life?

86% of males are happy while 83% of females are.

Are you happy with your sex life?

Ever paid for sex? Would you have sex to get a promotion?

While girls throughout the region are all pretty consistent in saying no to gigolos (only 1% have paid for sex in Thailand, HK: 3%, SG: 2%), many guys have paid up to get some (TH: 62%, HK: 53%, SG: 42%). But if you look on to who is taking cash in exchange for their luvin’, the real whores are the guys! 14% of Thai males admitted to taking cash for sex compared to 1% of Thai girls. In the other two cities surveyed, men are also ahead of girls when it comes to this, but much less so­ (all stats fell between 6% to 10%). This is consistent with what men are ready to do for a promotion. Only 62% would refuse to have sex to climb the corporate ladder as opposed to 82% of women.

Have you ever masturbated at work?

58% of males did, and so did 74% of females.

Ever owned a sex toy?

No surprise here—it’s harder for Bangkokians to get hold of an 8” suction-cup, realistic veins, comes in pink or black, latex piece of fun. While about half of Hong Kongers are fully equipped, and 60% of Singaporeans, 70% of Thais must head to the fresh market or just give up on the idea altogether. What about the other 30%? Well, our readers love to travel, and it seems they like to shop when abroad as well.

Porn

Ever made a sex movie or taken nude photos of with your partner?

Of course!

HK - 56%
SG - 52%
TH - 51%

Ever toyed with S&M?

Yup.

HK - 70%
SG - 74%
TH - 76%

Protection

Places where you had sex

Behind a bar counter	BTS	Car
University classroom	Department store	Kitchen
Library	Back of a motorcycle	Staircase at Paragon
Locker room	Rooftop	Public bathroom

Why did you become an artist?
I grew interested in art as a child. I think all children like painting. After art school, I was drawn towards contemporary styles of painting. I tried these and made several abstract works, but soon realised I wasn’t as interested in this as I had thought. So I tried to find my own style, exploring widely before I found inspiration in Mongolian lifestyle and traditions.

Why red horses?
I like animals. I tried many others—even camels—but for the last 14 years I’ve been painting only horses. Red is a color that gives energy. As for horses, they connect people to nature.

Do you own horses?
Yes. I’ve had horses since I was a child. There are 11 horses per person in Mongolia.

Some say that if you look at the horse in the painting, it will look back at you. Is that true?
Well, Mongolians believe the horse is like an eight-year-old child. It can do many things and feel many emotions. But whatever the painted horse looks at depends on the viewer and how he relates to the painting.

When you are painting, what do you feel?
When I paint, I think of nothing but painting. You can feel the emotion of the paint. I just follow that feeling.

If horses are a symbol of Mongolia, are your paintings about Mongolia as a nation?
The audience should have some feeling for the cultural origin of a work of art and anyone can guess my paintings come from Central Asia. But my art is not really concerned with giving messages.

[see the cover story here]

The Lomo Compact Automat (B7,500, can be found at Fotoguffy) hailing from Russia has now reached cult-status worldwide and has nearly become synonymous with the analog movement. The dirty little secret is that half of it has nothing to do with the camera. Lomo users cross-process their film, which is what gives the photos wild colors and blown-out highlights. To do this, just shoot slide film and ask your lab to “cross-process” it. If your local lab is clueless, go to the pros at IQ Lab.

Tested at Benjakitti Park with cross-processed Fuji Provia 100F 35mm film (B250/roll).

Not unlike the Lomo, the Holga 120GN produces images with dark corners and crazy exposures. Unlike the Lomo though, the Holga uses medium format film, just like the pros! The Holga 120CFN (B3,400, available at Room Interior) comes with a plastic lens and funky colored filters. For more classy and classic medium format cams, crawl through Pirom Plaza (Mahachai Rd., across from Merry King and next to Grande Ville Hotel) where twin-lens Yashica medium formats starts at B4,000.

Tested at Benjasiri Park with cross-processed Fuji Astia 100F medium-format film (B150).

The Lomo Fisheye is just another wagon on the seemingly endless freight train of photographic toys that Lomo has churned out in the tracks of the Lomo Compact Automat. Just to name a few, the Pop 9 (B2,900) takes 3x3 shots at the same time on the same frame.

Tested at Lumpiini Park on cross-processed Fuji Provia 100F 35mm film (B250/roll).

The ActionSampler (B1,700) takes four vertical shots at timed intervals, again on the same frame.

Tested at Santichaiprakarn with push-processed Fuji Provia 100F 35mm film (B250/roll).

The Horizon (B15,000) takes a panoramic shot spread over two frames.

Tested at Suan Luang Rama 9 with Fuji Provia 100F 35mm film (B250/roll). These cameras are all available at Room Interior.

The exquisite prints peel-apart instant film cameras produce are only half the fun. The negative, a gooey black strip of paper you peel the picture from and is meant to be thrown away, can be pressed onto a paper with good absorbing qualities for a soft eerie print with faded colors. The fun starts at B3,500 with a Polaroid EE100 to which you can add a B2,000 Polaroid Creative Photography Kit (both can be found at Fotoguffy)

Tested at Chatuchak Park with Fuji NP 100C film (B420/10 shot pack).

Trips to the lab not your idea of fun? The Fuji Instax 200 (B2,090 at Fuji dealers around town) produces big Instax prints that you can manipulate for that extra arty feel. While it’s still “fresh,” draw on your Instax with a capped pen or any blunt object to get anything from dark lines to crushed muddled colors.

Tested at Santipab Park on Fuji Instax film (B380/10 shot cartridge).

Benjasiri Park

Sukhumvit Rd., (between Soi 22 and 24), 02-262-0810. Open daily 5am-8pm.

Between pottery classes, golf lessons, lunches, shopping expeditions—oh and kids, too—the Sukhumvit housewife has no time to waste. Fortunately, she can stock up on LV at Emporium practically within earshot of Benjasiri’s concrete playground, where her offspring are making sand castles with the nanny. Benjasiri Park caters to teens as well, with a skate park, basketball and volleyball courts and even Segway rentals. Evenings office workers and laborers descend on the park for jogging and hand-holding in the dark.

What to read on the bench: Nikutai No Gakko (School of Flesh) by Yukio Mishima.

Santi Chai Prakarn

Phra Artit Rd., 02-225-7612/-4, Open 24/7.

Some teens can’t afford to shop at Paragon, but they do have this tiny park by the Chao Praya. Hippy, groovy and indie—Santi Chai comes alive regularly with concerts, book fairs, and even traditional Thai music (Sat-Sun at 5pm, with a special translation service for English-speakers). If you have dreadlocks and play Tibetan music, if you only wear second-hand T-shirts and listen to Britpop, if you can’t dance without spinning on your head or if you’re too old for all of this but refuse to admit it, Santi Chai is the park for you.

Don’t let anyone bore you with their lives: Take a notepad and write the book that you want to read.

Suan Luang Rama 9

Sukhumvit 103, Pravet, 02-328-1395. Open daily 6am-6pm.

Suan Luang is not exactly in central Bangkok, but braving the traffic will reap huge rewards. The Trapang Kaew Keb Nam is one vast piece of water, but the carefully designed curves that make up its banks don’t give it the artificial feel of Benjakitti. In fact, the royal showcase that sits at its edge gives a perspective that has you feeling you’re at a mountain lake (well, a little imagination helps). Outdoorsy nature-lovers will dig wandering around the seemingly infinite 500 rai, inspecting delicate exotic flowers at the botanical garden or meandering among the spiky cacti that sit beneath a space-age geodesic dome. This is not just like getting out of Bangkok, this is nearly a change of continents, if not planets.

What to pack for your expedition: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne.

Santhipab

Victory Monument, Ratchavithi Rd., 02-245-2461. Open daily 5am-8pm.

Santhipab is a bit of a neighborhood thing but only because it’s a well-kept secret. Romantic couples can’t get enough of its benches—choose from classic or modern styles—and shaded lawns. The lush and perfectly manicured tropical vegetation, the looming silhouette of the Baiyoke Tower and the small puddle of water all seem to unleash the romantic artiste in the boys and the muse in the girls, who often turn the park into a giant photo studio of luuuv.

What book to leave untouched as the two of you disappear behind a palm tree: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

Chatuchak

Khampangpetch Rd., Chatuchak, 02-272-4575. Open daily 4:30-8pm.

It’s hard to believe there’s a little Disneyland of bridges over water, pedal-boats, and colorful flowers just next to sticky, packed and dusty JJ Market. Shoppers should seriously consider extending their weekend expedition to the very end of the BTS and MRT lines by taking a stroll in Chatuchak’s park. It’s not quite like leaving Bangkok for a boutique hotel in the islands, but it’s closer, it’s free, and it’s green—and no tropical diseases or delayed flights!

What to read on your rented mat to turn it into a desert island: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Lumpini

Rama 4 Rd., Pathumwan, 02-252-8035. Open daily 4:30am-8pm.

This is the place to grab a B30 American breakfast after a long night of partying and indulge in some of the most fascinating people-watching in town: elderly Chinese playing chess or performing their morning tai chi, yuppie joggers, grunting body-builders and the busy-bee gardeners. Just watching all this morning activity might actually make you feel refreshed enough to make it to your place, but crashing under a tree is fine, too.

What to read in the shade without taking off your sunglasses: Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Benjakitti

Old Thai Tobacco Factory, next to QSNCC, 02-278-2426. Open daily 5am-8pm.

Some might like its clean look, but with that flat empty pool and those looming skyscrapers, Benjakitti is borderline eerie. The cycling track is top notch, though, and probably one of the only ones that is flat enough for (reasonably) safe rollerblading. If you’re all about aluminum kitchens and half-inch thick plasma screens—and if your office is nearby, Benjakitti may be the perfect place to get some exercise without getting too close to nature.

What audio-book to play on your iPod: American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis.

Like the photo effects in this story? Here is our camera review

Ken wears a pink embroidered shirt from (B1,950) Baking Soda and burgundy corduroy pants (B1,720) from Goodmixer. Ming wears a red chiffon dress (B6,950) from It Happened To Be A Closet and burgundy Paul Frank shades (B4,600) from Niche Nation.

Ken wears a khaki shirt (B2,995) from Greyhound and linen pants (B1,950) from Goodmixer. Ming wears a white dress (B3,900) from Senada. Wan wears a khaki military jacket (B5,290) from Kloset Red Carpet and satin skirt with lace and sequin detail (B4,500) from Baking Soda.

Ming wears a knitted crochet dress (B1,450) from Disco Queen. Wan wears a layered ruffled dress (B3,650) from It Happened To Be A Closet.

Ken wears a sequined shirt (B2,900) from Baking Soda and shades by Chrome Hearts (B30,000) from Niche Nation.

Ming wears a trench coat (B6,900) from Senada and yellow skirt (B3,250) from Fly Now with shades (B4,200) by Funk from Niche Nation. Wan wears a chiffon dress (B6,950) with jewel-encrusted purse (B9,650) from It Happened To Be A Closet. Heels (B6,950) from It Happened To Be A Closet. Accessories from left to right: copper leather handbag (B12,000) from Fly Now, brown suede heels (B3,450) from Kloset Red Carpet, leather bag (B6,595) from Greyhound, leather camouflage bag (B3,500) by Goorin from Baking Soda, gold sandals (B890) from Disco Queen.

From left to right: leather belt (B2,950) by Missile from Baking Soda, gold shades (B19,000) by Mykita from Niche Nation, shagreen necklace with stone pendant (B2,880) from Madame Tango, sunglass earrings (B2,580), “Together” ring (B2,750), gold wing earrings (B1,650) by Missile from Baking Soda, metallic snakeskin shoes from It Happened To Be A Closet, blue shades (B4,800) by Funk from Niche Nation, shagreen bracelet (B2,480) and leather cuff (B2,480) from Madame Tango, “You Love Us” silver necklace (B2,650) by Missile from Baking Soda.

Ken wears dark blue corduroy jacket (B2,990) and pants (B1,890) from Baking Soda. Ming wears blue cotton pouf dress (B2,790) from Playhound.

Ming wears a chiffon top (B2,850) and swirled flower skirt (B17,500) both from It Happened To Be A Closet. Wan wears a chiffon dress (B2,150) from Disco Queen and suede heels (B3,450) from Kloset Red Carpet.