The nearly completed work of burying all the electric and phone cables in Phuket Town’s old quarter is just one sign that much has changed there in recent years. The old communities of Chinese descent—mostly Hokkien—are not just beautifying their distinctive Sino-Portuguese shop houses, or organizing the occasional walking street fair. They’re are also rediscovering their Baba Nonya roots, a rich culture in Phuket and Penang where Chinese heritage, colonial influence and indigenous traditions combine. This heady mix is attracting an ever-growing number of galleries and cafes to the picturesque town center. So put on your walking shoes and get ready for fiery Southern Thai cuisine, Hokkien delicacies, Sino-Portuguese architecture, stimulating galleries and a solid dose of Baba Nonya nostalgia.

The historic town center’s most beautiful streets are all within walking distance of each other: Dibuk, Thalang, Phang Nga, Yaowarat. To make sure you hit all the highlights, get a hold of the excellent Phuket Town Treasure Map, either at the (1)Tourist Information Center on Thalang Rd. or at the Tai Hua Museum (see below).

Nearly every shophouse in the area is worth its salt but the (2)On On Hotel and (3)Promthep Clock Tower are the two main sites you’ve seen in countless TV ads. Another star is (4)Soi Rommanee connecting Thalang Rd. and Dibuk Rd., a former red light district, which is now the most popular street for snap-happy tourists drawn to the colorful and tightly packed shophouses. There’s a little flea market there every Saturday night. Just make sure you get there before 10pm.

A Brief History

Phuket Island (formerly known as Jungceylon) has long been a port of call for foreign trading vessels. From the 16th century on, the island was mined for its tin, and there remain plenty of reminders of the presence of the French, Portuguese and British, as well as Chinese, Malaysian and Indian influences. Phuket’s shophouses and villas, dating from the 1860s, bear close resemblance to those of British colonial Penang, and there’s a definite convergence of Eastern and Western styles.

The best way to start your journey through time is at (5)Phuket Thai Hua Museum (Krabi Rd., open Tue–Sun 11am-7pm. 076-211-224, www.thaihuamuseum.com) which transforms the oldest school building in Phuket (dating back to the 1930s) into a two-story exhibition detailing the island’s Chinese ancestry, Phuket Town’s growth to prosperity and the school itself.

Café Culture

If you need a caffeine boost after walking around then sip traditional coffee among the locals at (6)Kopi de Phuket (61 Phuket Rd., 076-212-225, open daily 10am-9pm www.kopidephuket.com). The place has a Chinese tavern-feel on the ground floor and resembles a Chinese tea house on the second. They also have a smaller café at the On On Hotel, the oldest hotel in town.

For something more Western, join the queue of expats at (7)Gallery Cafe (106 Rasada Rd., 076-211-775, open daily 8am-6pm) www.gallerycafe-phuket.com) where they serve everything from full English breakfa sts to fast dinner options like pasta. Other charming coffee shops vibe can be found at (8)Mac-chiato House (48 Thalang Rd., 076-215-701, open daily 9am-9pm) which serves homemade coffee and cakes. It’s set in the type of long and narrow old shophouse (some 20-30 meters deep), with a garden out the back, that’s particularly typical of Phuket Town. Another cute choice is (24)Pirrera Cafe Bar (39,1 Dibuk Rd. 085-782-4406)​​, an old building on the corner of Dibuk, which retains all of its original charm. And if this is your first visit, look up the longstanding (9)China Inn (20 Thaland Rd.) and (10)Dibuk Restaurant (69 Dibuk Rd.), too; both are lovely architectural specimens.

Artistic Perspective

After enjoying all this old stone, take your art appreciation to another level at Phuket Town’s countless galleries, many of which are tucked away in century-old buildings. First stop at (11)Art Room (29 Yaowarat Rd. 087-273-2413), a gallery-plus-school which sells contemporary and traditional art by students at affordable prices. For a little more ambiance, head to (12)Phuket 346 (15 Soi Romanee, Taland Rd., 076-258-108). This 100-year-old two-story building is not only a gallery, but a funky guesthouse with cafe and bar, where you can relax among the playful contemporary works. Things are also pretty fun over at (13)Wua Studio (95 Phang Nga Rd., 076-258-208), which was founded by Mr. Zen, an advertising executive who quit his job to pursue his passion for minimalist art pieces. For something more traditional, try(14)Sirasil (121 Phang Nha Rd., 076-224-532), (15)iMon Art Gallery (29/2 Phang Nga Rd., 086-961-8968) or (16)Pab Khien Thai Art Gallery (3 Tabkrasattree Rd., 089-908-6769).

Southern Dining

(17)Suay Restaurant (50/2 Takuapa Rd., 087-888-6990 open Tue-Sun 5pm-10pm www.suayrestaurant.com) serves up creative Thai fare at low prices courtesy of Chef Tammasak Chootong, formerly a chef at Banyan Tree Hotels. Try the guay tiew lod salmon khao soy (steamed salmon in rice noodles served with yellow curry, B159) and tum BBQ ma kue yao (grilled long eggplant salad with crab meat, B89). Dessert is a must, too, namely the mango sticky rice spring roll and black sesame ice-cream for just B99. Southern cuisine meets Sino-Portuguese décor at (18)Raya Restaurant (48 Dibuk Rd., 076-218-155, open daily 10am-11pm). The century-old building’s original mosaic tiled floor and walls adorned with 50s tea and coffee postergirls and pictures of Thai monarchs will take your mind off the somewhat hefty prices. The line-up of traditional Phuket dishes include moo hong (steamed pork with pepper and garlic, B250), gaeng nue poo bai cha ploo (crab meat with curry and coconut milk, B400-600), pad pak mieng goong sieb (stir fried mieng leaves with dried prawns, B200-300) and pad sataw kapi goong (stir fried sataw with shrimps, B250-350). For a lighter meal, consider (19)Kopitiam (18 Thalang Rd., 083-606-776, open Mon-Sat 11am-10pm) where they serve pocket-friendly traditional dishes like mee Hokkien (Phuket-style noodles) and bak kut teh (pork bone herbal soup).

If street food is more your thing, you’ve come to the right place. Start with the famous (20)Mee Ton Poh (214/7 Phuket Rd., 076-216-293, open daily 10am-6pm), a popular haunt for those who can’t get enough of signature dishes like pad mee Hokkien (B35-40). Next head to Yaowarat Rd. and search Soi Sun Uthit for the hard-to-spot Ji Peng stall where you can get delicious mee hun (fried noodle served with pork bone soup) for B30. Right next to it is a stall that serves Phuket’s famous dessert, o-aew (herbal jelly in red syrup), which is a recommended follow-up to your meal. If you’re still not quite full, then o-tao (stir fried oysters with eggs and crispy pork skin) is another traditional Phuket dish, and makes for a great snack. Head to Takuapa Rd., where (21)Ji Pien (Soi Phoophol 7, Takuapa Rd., 084-062-1232, open daily 5pm-11pm) have been selling this famous dish for nearly 40 years. Don’t forget to try their yummy kanom jeen, too.

After Dark

Despite, or perhaps because of, the rich heritage of the area, parts of old Yaowarat and Dibuk Roads are real hotspots come nightfall. Savvy young entrepreneurs have revamped the old shophouses and turned them into chill bars where you can enjoy live music among the local cool set. (22)Sanaeha (83-85 Yaowarat Rd., 076-218-515) looks romantic in the early evening with its big chandelier, but late on it gets packed with young partygoers. It’s a similar case at (23) Ploenchit (22-24 Dibuk Rd., 081-536-1377), where you definitely need to make a reservation on Fri and Sat nights. If you’re hungry after dancing well into the night, head to Ko Benz (163 Krabi Rd., 084-060-7799) for the most renowned tom luerd moo (pig’s blood in clear soup) in town. They’re open from 7pm-3pm, so there’s no need to go to bed hungry.

Essentials

HOW TO GET THERE

Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) round trip B6,680, Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com) B5,760, Air Asia (www.airasia.com) B4,560 and Nok Air (www.nokair.com) B4,640.

WHERE TO STAY

Phuket 346
5 Soi Rommanee, Talang Road www.phuket346.com
Casa Blanca
26 Phuket Road, Talat Yai, www.casablancaphuket.com

My grandfather and my uncle inspired my love of drawing, along with Japanese cartoons like Slam Dunk and Doraemon. I used to draw cartoons and give them away to all my high school friends.

I knew little about architecture when I started at Silpakorn University. All I knew was that I wanted to study something that would let me draw but make more money than fine arts. I was even put on probation in my first year because I devoted all my attention to my art subjects.

Reading lots of books helped me realize that the architecture world didn’t begin and end with professors.

I found a French book on deconstructionist architecture which really pushed me to want to create challenging and provocative works without fear of bad grades from my professors.

Architecture is all about choices. When I finally got praise from a professor, it made me realize that you don’t need to follow the masses to leave an impression. If you and the client agree on the value of your work, that’s enough.

Don’t waste your time once you find what you love. I was struggling to get good grades at Silpakorn, trying to stick to the style that I liked, so I dropped out in my third year and transferred to study at the Pratt Institute in New York. I was able to graduate with honors.

I came back to be a professor at ABAC for 3-4 years before I got my first architect project, designing a house for Kajbodint Sudlabha, editor-in-chief of Daybeds magazine.

It was a really inspiring moment to see my design constructed for the first time. It was much more impressive than on paper. And it led to more design jobs.

Grow your business gradually. Know your limitations. I founded VaSLab with my friend, Boonlert Deeyuen, in the garage of my grandfather’s home. We had only three staff members at the beginning, now we have more than a dozen.

Don’t create an illusion to gain credibility. We try to be sincere to our clients about the type of work we like to do, not simply try to please them at every turn.

Friendship is important in this business. Buildings aren’t made of paper; they must stand for a lifetime. You need to give your clients a gift that they will enjoy for the next 20 years.

People need to be educated on how to appreciate architectural work. Many see a design as a pricy piece of paper and don’t value the creativity. Those who value knowledge and experiences are willing to pay what it takes.

Thai architects don’t need to aspire to reach international levels. Just focus on competing locally. If we keep it up, international acceptance will follow naturally. I actually admire the quality and creativity of work around today.

We need to encourage our new generation to express their creativity. Our education system puts too much emphasis on pleasing professors and this attention to good grades alone is destroying us.

There is no right or wrong in design. You must have faith in your creativity.

Bangkok compares favorably to Paris, London, Tokyo and New York, which I consider my second home. We have such a vivid culture and so many layers of living: there is high-end architecture in the form of five-star hotels and malls, while there are also more underground scenes like Patpong or Klongtom. People might look at these as dirty, but I see them as alive.

Thailand really lacks museums. I dream of building a contemporary art museum and something I’d call Christ People Park, which I’d like to be a church-plus-museum where people can gather to talk about Christ’s work.

I had a total meltdown when I broke up with my wife. I felt I lost my identity. I went on a booze binge, going out every night. It was like living on the dark side.

I finally stopped when I realized that partying didn’t relieve my sorrow. I went out to meet girls but I still felt lonely. I thank God and my friends and family for helping me get through this tough period. They taught me forgiveness and to understand unconditional love.

When you’ve nearly reached a goal you start appreciating the beautiful things in life. You might topple to the ground, but this gives you the strength to reach the finish line.

Becoming an architect won’t make you rich in the short term. You must be patient. Many of my friends stopped doing it because they wanted to make more money faster. One of them used to be top of the class, too!

I love bare concrete walls as they hide nothing and reveal the truth of the material. I especially like the imperfections as they also remind me of humanity’s faults.

Our lives are never straightforward. It’s better that we sometimes take a fall in order to get a better perspective on life.

Live your life according to love. I believe everyone should think positively and that love can overcome anything.

My life was so planned out. I was good at English so I decided to study at the Faculty of Arts [Chulalongkorn University] with dreams of working for an international organization.

At university, I got to know the extraordinary feeling of studying a play and finally putting it on.

I’m lucky that I was born when I was. When I started my career, the entertainment industry wasn’t so competitive. I progressed from actress to scriptwriter to director quite seamlessly.

Performing on stage is like returning home. It’s one of the best feelings for me. There’s no pre- or post-production like with a TV series or movies. We rehearse then perform, and that’s it!

Performing Tuen Tuek is like competing with the world’s best athletes. The cast is so talented. They don’t have to stick to the script and the show still flows so well. It’s now in its fourth edition and no matter how busy I am, I always look forward to it.

Society is judgmental of single women. But I don’t care what people think; it’s my life.

One benefit of being single is that your happiness doesn’t depend on others.

Thai audiences like their shows like fast food nowadays. They want over-the-top acting and fast-paced storylines, not attention to detail.

People have shorter attention spans. You can see it in everything from politics to drivers on the road. People don’t know how to be patient anymore and don’t want things explained to them.

Reality TV and the internet are changing the way we look at people. People love extroverts who can’t control their emotions, while those who are more reserved are seen as boring or as harboring a secret motive. What’s wrong with us?

Everyone has their own set of virtues. But these can get skewed as society changes. I don’t want to set a bad example for children through my work, even if something is in vogue.

I love being a scriptwriter the most. It lets me be alone with myself and get lost in my imagination. I don’t need to be bothered by anyone.

Scriptwriting is never-ending work. An actress’s job finishes after the final cut, but as a scriptwriter you always have to be thinking of what’s next to keep the story rolling. Eventually you just need a break.

I’m looked upon as a comedian but I’m actually quite pedantic. People who I work closely with are often scared of me.

People should respect themselves and others by doing their job to the best of their abilities. I hate those who don’t pay proper attention to their work.

I always feel that I can do better. I’m like a child who needs compliments and constant reassurance.

If you feel happy every time you go to work, that means you’re successful. I’m really content with my work as an actress and director right now. I never feel bored doing it.

I’m always losing my temper at politics. All I see are politicians making trouble and not fixing anything. It makes you feel powerless.

Marriage is a civil duty. Single people, like me, ignore our most important job: to create the best next generation as possible. Now that I’m getting old, I’m like, “Shit, it’s too late!”

So many people don’t have time to take care of a baby and be a quality person, and that’s bad news for the country.

There’s no equality in this world. We’ve got this ASEAN Community looming on the horizon, but I don’t think we’re ready for it. Look at the European Union: they’re still plagued with huge problems.

Live life like you could die at any moment. Seeing loved ones die—my parents and two close friends—made me realize nothing lasts forever.

Always pursue what makes you happiest. It keeps you inspired.

BK: Had you always dreamed of being a fashion designer?
No, I initially wanted to be a doctor but actually ended up studying Thai at Chula because I was good at it. One day, I attended a fashion competition called the Gift festival at Silapakorn University. I decided right there and then that I would compete the next year. But I knew nothing about fashion at that point.

BK: How did you prepare?
I started going to libraries, every day, just reading about fashion, and spoke to people in the industry. One year later, I placed third in the competiton, landed a job as an assistant designer at Greyhound, and eventually got a scholarship at the Institut Francais de la Mode.

BK: How did you come to enter the Mango Fashion Awards?
In fact, I competed for the Mango award twice. The first time, my teacher saw the work I submitted and said, “You disappoint me. If you study here and that’s the best that you can do, it’s such a waste of time.” It was painful to hear but I decided that I would prove myself to him.

BK: What was your inspiration in creating the collection?
My collection for Mango is called “Reincarnation.” I had lost my father shortly before I created the collection. I was sad about the loss and I went to lot of temples to heal my pain after coming back from France. It helped me absorb my own roots, dharma, and consider where we all go after we die. My collection builds on that, and the idea of the dead strengthening the living. I represent it through snake yadong [a herbal alcohol], which people believe will give them the strength of the dead snake in the jar. The other aspect is the high level of craftsmanship, in little details like the leatherwork and braiding.

BK: What’s next?
I now work as a cultural officer for the Ministry of Culture’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture so I will try to push our fashion industry forward. As for my brand, Wisharawish, I want to use my prize [300,000 euros] to help it grow, too. I’d like to break into Asian markets like Singapore and Japan before shifting my focus to Europe and the US. My biggest dream is to present my work at the Paris Fashion Week.

BK: Do you sell your collection?
I don’t want to depend on the traditional system in the fashion industry where they normally do collections twice a year and rush to the factory to produce and sell it in 3 months. I don’t have enough time and money for that. So I just make it for customers who love my collection, of whom, to be honest, there are only 10 people.

BK: What’s your motto?
Depend on yourself before seeking help from others.

What’s the difference between being on tour and back home?

The biggest difference from where I come from--where I was born, in my hometown in Virginia, or where I live now in San Diego--is that all the places have become so familiar that all the routines and all the conversations, even the trees and the bird songs, they tend to almost disappear sometimes from view because you’re so deep inside the familiarity of it that you forget to see how beautiful it really is. So therefore, when I travel, when I go to any other cities, and certainly when I’m constantly traveling, everything is new and you’re constantly engaged, constantly awoken to different sights, sounds, shapes, colors of things.

What’s your take on Asia?

There’s something that’s quite profound that happens for me when I come over to Asia. It is because I can’t read anything, and that creates a quiet of the mind. You know, if I’m in New York City, all I’m reading is advertisements, and street signs; it’s constant business being thrown at you. Whereas when I come over here, or when I’m in China, or Japan, most things around me, or even street signs here in Thailand, they just look like graphic art to me. So it quiets the mind, and it allows me to see more of the nature, more of the beauty, more of the spirit in things versus the man-made, or the messages that they try to send us. It just creates a different mindset, in which I’m going to see the world. And then when things come at me, whether it be a conversation I have or a longing for someone in another city, or just being open through this quiet of mind, I never know what’s going to come up in a song. It could be an old feeling in the past, or it could be an entirely new feeling. But because of that, I do get inspired a lot when I travel.

What about Thailand specifically?

I didn’t know it was called the land of smile before. I like that. But I always try to have as few expectations as possible, so as not to live in some made up future, and then get there and say, “Oh, it’s not that at all”. [I try to] just be open to whatever I walk into. What I have noticed here, and now I know that this land is called the Land of smile--it’s amazing--is grace. Other countries don’t have this grace. This bowing, and this respectful language that most males or females seem to have a different kind of respect for, but in an equal amount of respect. It’s just like a grace – a way of being – that not all cultures have. Certainly, in the United States, they don’t. We don’t know how to greet each other at all. Some people shake hands, some people hug, some people don’t touch each other at all. Very awkward, you know, it’s so strange. But here, there’s just grace, I can’t think of any other word for it. And that’s a beautiful thing. You should be very proud.

Would your say your music is about more than just love and relationships?

Well, recently it’s been everything, which is why even the album was created. It’s interesting because when I make an album, it’s whatever I’m processing or learning in my life. That is what the album is about. Or whatever I’m experiencing at the time in my life. And I look back at all my albums and saw that, love and relationship is a common through life. But still I have yet to be master at love; I have yet to start a family, or have a long-lasting relationship. So that was something I really want to look at, and learn, and improve, and be better; be better at love, and just be love itself. So I took this project on, and at the same time that I was having these feelings, I saw that artwork (the new album cover) before I had written any song. And I thought, wow these are four fundamentals of building. They are the first things we even see as children; we were introduced these shapes. Yet, I had never seen them in that order before. It said that word ‘love’. I thought, wow. I’m just so amazed by this. I thought there are two reasons I should make an album about love based on, or because of, this artwork. One, we want to really duplicate that album as much as possible, right? I mean, you want to sell millions of copies. And you want to advertise it, and put posters up. And how cool is that, it even ends up as a digital graphic on your phone if you download it. What a cool way to spread the message of love in the world one more time – another message of love for a new generation. And if you can see love in that image, in those four shapes, it’s a choice that you’re making because they are just shapes. If you choose to see love, you always have the power to choose to see love in the world – in anyone, in anything, in an enemy, in a bad day, in a mirror. Love is a choice that we make. That’s one of the profound realizations I had in working on this album. It’s almost like the songs are just side projects, or side effects of living inside this journey to understand love. What I conclude love to be, now, is sharing. I think it’s best understood, best seen and felt when you simply share something. My being here in this interview is sharing because I love what I do. And I love that you love what you do, and that you’re going to share your passion in writing with someone who’s probably going to have a passion for reading about music or lifestyle or whatever. And it’s going to resonate with their love. It’s the sharing – this constantly sharing – that we pass on to each other. Or when we share resources, or energy, or when we volunteer, or feed other, or hug others, or give money to help an organization. Sharing, I find, is that best way for us to really truly experience love. It gets you out of your head, and your heart.

What’s with your new look?

You know, I don’t know. During my break between albums, I realized that it would grow if I didn’t cut it. So now it’s growing. It’s easier; it’s fun. Yeah, I would probably cut it one day, and people would go, “Oh no! it’s your new look!”

How do you balance your life having to go on tour for a long period of time?

Oh gosh, I don’t always. I don’t always balance my life. Sometimes I absolutely go crazy. And then I think, “Why am I going crazy?” But I do my best. I balance it by doing yoga, or some kind of physical activity. Traveling or touring is often sitting, having conversations, sitting on a plane, sitting in an airport, sitting in a van, sitting on a bus, you know, it’s a lot of just stagnant energy. So by doing yoga or some kind of physical activity, I can, as Bob Marley would say, “lively up yourself,” and get back into your head and generate some thoughts, some lyrics, and some ideas. And that, to me, is to help to keep balance between sitting. And in this practice, of being lively through yoga or sitting, is the balance that I can then apply to my whole life or to my entire day, whether it’s an hour of doing interviews, or an hour of not talking, or interacting with my band later to put the show together tonight. It all goes down to doing a pose in yoga, where you are forced to balance and keep yourself there for an extra minute. But you don’t want to, and your mind says, “I don’t wanna do it.” But your body says, ‘Just do it man, just do it’. And your body finally comes together, and hopefully you can live that way for the rest of the day and create that balance.

How do you maintain a relationship?

As for the rest of my life, how do I have family and all that--I don’t. My family is with me on the road. My family accepts that I’m here on the road. My family is a very special core group of people that I’ll stay in correspondence with. Right now, I’m doing good though. I’ve got a lot of amazing friends in my life – some very close ones that support my being here. So that way, it doesn’t feel like I’m missing anything somewhere else.

Can you tell us about the Jason Mraz foundation?

When I first started out, fifteen years ago, I was making absolutely no money, and it was through the generosity of friends and family that I had a rich quality of life. It kept me on my path so I could be the artist that I wanted to be. And now years later, thanks to music, which I’ve known to actually serve in many ways, I decided to take this spotlight, and redirect it on some stories of individuals and organizations out there that are doing their part, working to give a rich quality of life to those that are less fortunate. So I used the spotlight, the attention, the awareness, my resources and my money to create a foundation that supports these other programs. At the moment, I support about eight different charities inside the fund that is the Jason Mraz foundation. It covers a variety of organizations from animal preservation to human rights. You can find out more about that at jasonmraz.com/foundation. It has been a career highlight for me to actually go far beyond what I thought I would acquire or achieve as a songwriter, now that I can actually serve the world in profound ways.

I used to have an imaginary friend as an only child growing up in Surat Thani. This shaped me into a creative storyteller.

I always dreamed of being a director. I even wrote my own speech for the Oscars—just in case.

I felt so free when I first moved to Bangkok. I lied to my parents and spent lots of time exploring and making friends, instead of going to university.

Many Thai people give nightlife a bad rep. Some think it’s all about alcohol, drugs and sex, which just isn’t true. We just love to get dressed up and have fun while enjoying the music.

Everything I’ve achieved I owe to partying. It gave me connections. I got my first job at Channel V and my current one at Bang Channel from people I got to know from my parties.

There are both good and bad people out there, you’ve just got to know how to go about things.

Dudesweet opened my mind. I never knew that there was a party culture where you could play any song you love and do whatever you want. It really inspired me.

So many parties just play supposedly cool music for cool people. Many partygoers don’t even enjoy the music. They just want to be seen as cool.

Why can’t we drop all the pretense and just have fun dancing to all the pop songs we grew up with, stuff like the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Madonna and ‘N Sync?

My friends and I finally held our first pop party five years ago, under the theme “Bring back the 90s,” which was attended by about 50 people. The next time there were more than 200.

The past is always beautiful. People like to complain about pop songs now, but when they get older, these songs will hold good memories for them.

We never thought we’d come this far. We’re just a group of people who like throwing fun parties and people seem to love it.

I love comedy. I used to be a comedian on Master Keys (a hit TV game show), which I enjoyed at first. But I quit because of the tired slapstick routines which were just too obvious.

Thais don’t like sarcasm. We love compromise, which sometimes prevents us from moving forward. People shoud learn to take a joke and grow from the experience.

People really overreacted to Lady Gaga’s recent tweet about buying fake Rolexes. It’s time to accept the truth. Why are the only images we want to put out things like traditional Thai headdress, smiles, floating markets and elephants? Many foreigners still think we ride elephants to school!

New technology is the cause of so much drama. Express your thoughts, but please realize that not everyone is going to agree or like what you do.

I’m openly gay. I’ve never really talked to my parents about this, but they probably have some idea from my character.

Single gay guys are really no different from single women. We can lead independent lives and still take care of our family.

My dad is the best person in my life. He’s a teacher so he’s never had much money. But he even went out to be a construction worker to earn extra money to send me to school.

I want to be a dad someday. But, I think I need to find a husband first.

Neil Patrick Harris is my idol. He’s made everyone accept both his performances and his lifestyle choices. It’s wonderful that he’s started a family with his partner.

I want the law to recognize same-sex marriages. Right now if a gay couple live together and one of them dies, the partner gets nothing.

Gays have so much spending power. Thailand has lots of gays, really, so why don’t we think of that as a plus for our economy?

Having good friends can shape your life. Parents come first, but friends are the ones you really go through life with.

Everyone should be ambitious. Buddhists might think it’s a bad thing, but it’s important to have some drive in your life.

I directed Trasher’s videos for fun, but we got lots of recognition, even from Katy Perry and Madonna’s manager. That’s awesome

I used to daydream a lot. I wouldn’t take risks. But you’re not going to be handed everything. You’ve got to grab any chance you get.

I started to get into theater and acting when I realized I wasn’t good enough to be a professional athlete.

There’s pressure and excitement to being on stage. You become somebody else. You can only really do that as an actor, an athlete or a politician.

You’re not allowed to scream or cry in society, unless you’re an actor. The only other times are when you get drunk or you’re a spectator at a football match.

I lived in New York for 4-5 years, waiting tables. I tried to make it as a theater actor but couldn’t make that breakthrough.

Going to auditions is tough. You line up for a role with 20 guys who look just like you, memorize the script as fast as you can. But in the end, the panel might take one look at you and say they don’t want you.

I was really pissed off that when I first came on the scene with my band Pru I was branded as this hi-so fraud trying to sing and dance to alternative music. People didn’t know that I had struggled.

I’m not the most optimistic person by nature. I’m also not the kind of person who doesn’t give a shit what people think. I’m always looking to prove myself. But as an artist, you can never make everyone love you.

Dancing is a form of distraction for me as a lead singer. I didn’t know what to do with myself when I first started. So I began to look at my body as an instrument and just move to the rhythm of the songs. Then dancing became my identity.

Now that I’m older, I’m like Jackie Chan, who can no longer do his own stunts. It’s scary that I can’t move as well as before. That’s something my fans will just have to accept.

Everyone has ugly sides to their character. No one’s perfect. My character in Antapal, Jod, kills so many people. I was forced to reach into the depths of my soul to portray this ugliness.

I got beaten up pretty badly one time in the early 90s. I was at a pub and obviously bumped into the wrong person. I’d never been in a fight before but he just kept taunting me, so we eventually took it outside. I got knocked out from behind then set upon by seven guys. When I got home, I just looked in the mirror and began crying at the absurdity. I felt like I was in a film or something.

There’s nothing beautiful about violence. Everybody just starts punching like a little girl when they have a fight in real life.

I’d always felt guilty that I never really helped with my family’s business. Then a few years ago, my mom asked if I wanted to do something with some land in the old part of town right on the Chao Phraya River. Since then, I’ve put all my efforts into building a hotel called The Siam which will open next month.

I wish I lived in the 1920s. I think the Rattanakosin district is the only part of Bangkok that has any character.

I recently moved my whole life to the old part of town. I began restoring a 100-year-old building last year so that I can live there with my wife and two kids. It was where my mother was born, but no one has been living there for 60-70 years.

I was worried that the house wasn’t as cozy as the condo my kids were used to. But luckily there is Suan Rommaninat Park right across the street for them to play in.

You don’t know what love is until you have kids. It’s a whole new level of love from what you’ve experienced before.

My wife is also my best friend. Guys who flirt with her always wonder how I managed to get this wonderful woman.

I’ve always been a sentimental person. When I was 12 years old, I watched the most beautiful romantic movie ever called Somewhere in Time. I was so hooked on it. It made me start believing in true love.

I always believed that I wouldn’t sleep with anybody until I found the woman I wanted to marry. That’s what happened. I was a virgin for such a long time that some people thought I was gay. I didn’t want to fool around with girls I didn’t love.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. My mom used to tell me to embrace as many passions as I could, so hopefully some will work out.

Life is all about the experiences. Whether your dreams come true or not, you should feel that you gave it a shot. And at least you had a dream.

Praya Palazzo

When Chulalongkorn University announced plans to raze the Lido, and possibly Scala, there was a public outcry. Partly, the indignation stemmed from the prospect of an educational institution bulldozing two independent movie theaters. But in Scala’s case, it was also a question of architectural preservation. Built in 1967, Scala is grandiose and luxurious, with overwrought rococo elements blending with graceful white columns and a sweeping staircase that dominates the cathedral-like vaulted lobby. We owe the theater to Chira Silpakanok, one of Thailand’s foremost modern architects and the designer of the Indra Hotel, another very elegant building were it not covered in ads and electrical wires. Until it was threatened with destruction, Scala was neither listed nor formally recognized by the Association of Siamese Architects (ASA). (In the wake of this incident, the cinema just won an ASA Architectural Conservation Award 2012.) While Scala seems safe for now, this worrisome episode raised serious questions about Bangkok’s policy for urban heritage preservation.

Scala Cinema

THE SHORT ARM OF THE LAW

The Fine Arts Dept. is responsible for architectural conservation, under the snappily-titled Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains and National Museum Act of Parliament, which was first passed in 1961 and revised in 1992. The law says anyone who destroys unregistered monuments is punishable with fines of up to B700,000 or seven years jail time while the punishment can be up to B1 million fines and 10 years jail time if they destroy registered monuments. It sounds like a suitable deterrent, however in practice, the Fine Arts Dept. rarely pursues those guilty of knocking down historic buildings.

As a case in point, the house of ML Devathiraj P. Malakul, next to BTS Ratchathewi was razed by the owners to make way for a development project. The house was an intricately carved 90-year-old structure—and from the BTS platform everyone had front row seats when the bulldozers moved in. The building had not been registered but any building of architectural, historical, educational and social value is, in theory, protected under the current law. Why didn’t the Fine Arts Dept. sue the Malakul family? We asked Vasu Poshyanandana, architect at the Office of Architecture at the Fine Arts Dept. “The fact is, this house was already gone, so the Fine Arts legal team might have figured it was better to put our limited resources and budget towards other urgent cases.”

The Fine Arts Dept. already had a bitter taste in their mouths from a legal battle with the head monk of Wat Kalayanamitr. Three years ago, he ordered the demolition of a registered pagoda. The department did sue in this case, but the court rejected their claims as the site’s 50-year-old registration under the Archeological Act did not detail which parts of the temple were listed.

“I’m worried that this case sets the wrong example for future conservation disputes,” Vasu says. When pressed further, Vasu does point out that you can always sue the Fine Arts dept. if you feel they are not doing their job, an odd invitation that betrays a hint of desperation.

Praya Palazzo before renovation

A Private Problem

Today, the Fine Arts Dept. has listed some 8,700 monuments all over the country. Specifically, Bangkok has 191 registered and 342 unregistered monuments that range from temples, government offices, fortresses, bridges and private buildings. (Unregistered buildings are the ones the Fine Arts have not yet completed a full survey and historical research for.) Of these hundreds of buildings, the hardest ones to protect are those that are privately owned.

A few years ago, Vasu explains the Archaeological Act was further weakened in a new draft that is currently on hold. Under this proposed revision, owners of private buildings could now choose to accept Fine Arts listings or not.

Most owners would refuse to be listed. For one, there’s some misunderstanding surrounding the effects of being registered. As most listed buildings are public, owners fear losing ownership of their home if it is listed—a total misconception.
They’re also worried about being harassed by the Fine Arts Dept. “The property still belongs to them but they need to report to the Fine Arts before they do something to the house,” Vasu explains, who sees this as a benefit. “We’re their advisor in conservation.”

Pongkwan Lassus, president of the ASA’s Art and Architectural Preservation Commission, says Thailand adopted its conservation model from France, but left out the part where there are government grants benefitting those who register their house.

“In France, the government gives owners grants and tax exemptions [on preservation work and inheritance tax] to owners of listed buildings, but Thailand has no benefits to persuade owners to preserve their buildings,” Pongkwan says.
Trungjai Buranasomphob, a senator and chairperson of the Standing Committee on Religions, Morals, Ethics, Arts and Culture, agrees. “The laws only says what you can’t do. It doesn’t help owners with preservation.” Without these laws, Trungjai role is also limited to being a mediator, trying to convince owners of heritage properties to follow the Fine Arts advice on restoration and preservation.

As for those owners who are already intent on preserving a heritage building, the lack of incentive means they are just as likely to ignore the Fine Arts Dept. altogether, as was the case for the owners of a lovely 1920s building on the river (See Going Private: Praya Palazzo, right) which was restored using private funds.

Wat Suanploo

Got A PLAN?

To recap, there is no law enforcement and no financial incentives to better preserve Bangkok’s architecturally significant buildings. There is also a dire lack of urban planning. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Department of City Planning who oversees conservation in Bangkok gets a tiny budget compared to that of the Public Works Department. And it is the latter who grants the rights to build or tear down buildings. If a building, like Scala, is situated on Chulalongkorn University’s private property and deemed by the BMA to be in a commercial zone, then it is basically defenseless.

“We have to list each zone based on the main activity currently prevalent there. So, Rattanakosin Island is Bangkok’s conserved quarter because it’s our old capital and the main tourist attraction. But other areas that are zoned as residential or commercial, they are free to develop,” says Prapapan Channual, Director of the Land Readjustment and Urban Renewal Division of the BMA’s City Planning Department.

“Bangkok is famous as the Venice of the East but our picturesque canal scenes are disappearing,” says Pongkwan, who is also on the committee at ICOMOS Thailand Association, an NGO focused on conservation. “Tourism is big business but we never put money into preserving what makes people come here. The decaying houses in the canals like Klong Bangkoknoi are main attractions but all they get out of tourism is the noise of long tail boats roaring past all day long. All the money goes to tour operators.”

We contacted the BMA’s Public Work Department for an interview but they declined to talk to us.

East Asiatic Building

TOO YOUNG TO LIVE

Scala is also penalized by being too young for conservationists to take interest in it. “This kind of architecture, you can’t find it anywhere else in Thailand. Our modern architecture has mostly been knocked down. People don’t see its value because it’s too new,” says architect Duangrit Bunnag, whose uncle designed Scala, about Bangkok’s 60-70s architecture. One famous such building was the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, which was designed by Joseph Salerno and opened in 1964. It was knocked down to erect Siam Paragon.

The lack of protection for newer buildings is part of a wider problem. The Fine Arts Dept. was first conceived to protect sites like 17th century temples and 19th century palaces, not late 60s movie theaters or even private homes from the early 20th century. Today, our heritage conservation needs a drastic overhaul to reflect our new needs. Ironically, retro has never been this popular, with fake themed mall ands markets like Plearnwan and Asiatique.

“The problem of Thai society is that we live with so much inauthentic stuff, we end up believing that it’s authentic,” says Duangrit. “But the original places have an incredible power to amaze us. Destroying our history is cutting ties between the younger generation and our roots. And you can’t move forward without strong roots.”

Restoring a Heritage Building in Bangkok: Praya Palazzo’s Preeyadhorn Pitakvorrarat

I’m a huge fan of The Beatles. I’ve listened to all of their albums and, for years, I even styled my hair like them. They never repeated themselves and always tried to revolutionize their sound.

I was a sound engineer at a music club before forming Stylish Nonsense with June [bandmate Yuttana Kalambaheti] and some other friends.

Our limitations as musicians forced us into making electronic music. We had no drummer so we started making songs on computers, which led us to become more experimental.

We are not interested in replicating our recordings when we play live. We also took a long break from entering the studio because it is such a waste of time trying to get everything perfect.

We don’t do any rehearsals before our shows. Often we won’t even talk to each other! Our music is all about moving forward. No need to talk, we just play.

We are lucky that our fans love our unpredictable style. They love us for our imperfections. But some people are disappointed when we don’t sound how we do on our album.

I launched Panda Records in 1999 because no one else would give us the freedom to release our music. All they could think about was marketing.

I put all my time and money into running the label but eventually I became exhausted. It took years to finish some projects because we were such perfectionists. The experience helped me understand why other record labels put business first.

Making music should be all about fun. If I had to deal with the management side of things too much, it would drain me of my ability to make music.

Playing music is a great way to release energy. That’s why we always look high when we play. It’s nothing to do with drugs or alcohol.

Our music scene is too money-driven. Record companies aren’t interested in supporting new things. They just want things that they can sell over and over again.

Big music festivals contribute to global warming. The organizers rig up huge lighting and sound systems, while everyone drives there, rents air-con rooms and creates a massive amount of waste—all for only one or two days. It’s all about selling products.

Our Stone Free music festival [which took place in Saraburi last December] was a lot different. We didn’t search for sponsors to make money. We just gathered a whole bunch of bands to play in a huge disused quarry. The only facilities were toilets.

I am now a professor in music production at Silpakorn University. I was asked to teach because they saw me as a pioneer in Thai electronic music. I teach students how to make music for commercials and events.

It’s good to be around new students. They are smart and so full of energy.

There is no right or wrong in music. I always tell my students to just respect themselves. I do like to sneak in a few lessons about experimental music, though.

Most of the money I make from commercials, modeling and other work goes into my music. I’m just lucky that my wife and family are really understanding of my passion.

The best thing that has happened to me is my daughter. She makes me feel that this world is marvelous because she looks at it in such a fresh and simple way.

I dream of taking Stylish Nonsense on an international tour to places like the USA, Canada and Europe. I spend so much time on small projects that I’ve never really done a big tour.

The internet is like a drug and some people are addicted to it. It can turn anyone into a god but also be a weapon for destroying others. That said, we’re lucky to have it: I can now spread my work and talk to musician friends abroad much easier than before.

People love to shock and frighten one another through online social networking, especially during the floods last year. I’d had enough of it at that time, so switched off my computer and went out to play music in the water. It was a real source of relief for me as my house was among those that were flooded.

I just shaved off my mustache because I don’t want anything like that to define me. I might grow it again later, but not for a while.

I’m not afraid of mainstream success, as the band becomes more recognized. It might lead to more people making new and interesting music.

I feel so great when I see people covering our songs. We can’t even play our own songs!