What’s your day job?
Ezahn: I own a small art gallery in Trok Mayom, Khao San. My two friends and I produce original artworks for sale there.
Sarun: I’m a freelance, making made-to-order models, of superheroes for example.

Are there any differences between making art as a business and doing an art show?
Ezahn: When I paint for sale, I spend an hour for about six pictures. It’s sketches that can be sold. I keep sketching until I get something that I really like and then I process the idea for my art exhibition. Exhibition works take much longer time.
Sarun: For me, it’s completely opposite. Making models for sale is something that requires very precise details and that I have to do in a way that customers like. While doing the exhibition, I express a more complete picture and I don’t need to go into minute detail or be that delicate. I just touch on my concept, so I can leave fingerprints and so forth on the sculptures.

Why a duo show?
Ezahn: It’s a coincidence. We made our own works, which were different in styles and perspective, but after we talked, we found out that they're based on the same ideas.
Sarun: And we’ve been friends since school.

What do you think of the other’s works?
Ezahn: My concept is like a striking feeling that suddenly hits me at that moment. While Run’s is something that takes time.
Sarun: His works catch my attention; they are something new. Ezahn works on inner feeling, but mine is more outward.

Why Art Gorilla Gallery?
Sarun: Sometimes small-name artists like us cannot get into the big galleries. Small art venues like Art Gorilla give us a chance to exhibit our work.
Ezahn: It’s an opportunity for audiences as well, so they can have a great variety of choices.

Ezahn, is the model in your paintings you?
Ezahn: Yes. My face can express it all.

What’s behind your art, Sarun?
Sarun: It’s my past; my ex actually.

Your girl (or guy) is sitting there round-eyed and expectant as the calendar flip flops closer and closer to February 14. So, what’s it going to be? As finding the right gift is as hard as predicting her, or his, emotions, flowers are always a safe choice. It seems like everyone is thinking the same, though, resulting in prices soaring during mid-February every year. Here are a few options to make your bouquet impressive, unusual, and—most importantly—reasonable for your budget.

Straight to the Source

Nice and chic flower shops in the shopping mall are great at making striking bouquets, but as you can guess, anything in the fresh market is cheaper—and it’s not always a step down in quality. In this case, there’s nowhere better than THE flower market in town, Pakklong Talaad (near Sapan Poot and Wat Ratchaburana). This fresh market blooms all night long with a multitude of options—from flower stalls wrapping bunches in newspapers to proper shops with the skill to customize according to your wishes.

In Her Shoes

Roses are the most desired flowers, and most costly, too. Why not set yourself apart with some other kinds of flowers? Carnations, lilies and daisies are just as nice, and may save you a bundle. Or, if you have no idea, at least pick the color she likes—you’ve got to know this at least. Cheta Palakavong, the owner of Chor-Chaba Flower Shop (Soi Nualjan, Ramindra Rd., 02-519-5065) suggests orchids. Cheta says, “Orchids looks expensive, but they’re not. There are many colors and you can choose to match the color the receiver likes.” A 10-stem bunch of orchids only costs about B100. He recommends mixing these with roses in a bouquet.

Go for Thai

Try narrowing your choice to local flowers and it will be much cheaper. As a way of being creative, try jasmine, lotus or sunflower. Cheta suggests that Thai roses and orchids are much cheaper compared to imported ones. They might be a bit smaller, but when put in a bouquet, the difference is hardly seen.

Early Bird

Buying flowers before the price goes up is another option. Aoi, a flower seller in Pakklong, says that a trick most Pakklong sellers use is keeping them on ice. You can keep flowers fresh for about 14 days. When the time comes, just bring them out, wrap them again and hand them to your girl. The flowers will wither faster though, so keep them fresh by wrapping soaked cotton at the end of the cut stems.

Do It Yourself

Arranging a bouquet requires some artistic skill, but it surely means a lot more to the person receiving it if you do it yourself. Think about a love poem personally composed versus a cheesy greeting card. And it’s much cheaper. You can buy whatever flowers you desire at Pakklong for less than B200, including paper and ribbon. If you don’t have the skill, try getting some wet floral foam, locally called “oasis.” You can cut it into a desired shape, dip it in water and stick flowers all around. Chrysanthemums, daisies and carnations look best on wet foam.

Directions

Vichai Dokmaisod (89 Jakpetch Rd., opposite Thai Farmer Bank, 02-221-5513. Open 24/7) is tops for bouquets of roses and lilies. It’s cheap but the choice is slim.

Venus Florist (81 Jakpetch Rd., 02-262-4212, 02-222-9384, 08-7519-2500. Open 24/7) has flowers in bouquets and various kinds of vases. A small bouquet of roses is ordinarily B150.  

Nuchanart Flower (at the corner of Ban Moh Rd., 08-1733-5150, 08-1854-3051. Open Tue-Sun, 24 hours) is a stall with various creative bouquets. The shop mixes fruits like apples and oranges with flowers, and it’s as chic as any creative florist boutique can be. A bouquet starts from B400 (during the non-festive season).

Baan 71 (71 Chakpetch Rd., 02-221-9423, 02-623-7435. Open daily 9:30am-midnight) sells wrapping paper, wet flora foam, ribbon and anything else needed for floristry—wholesale or retail. Paper starts at B5. The good news here is that prices don’t increase during the Valentine season.

Lek-Saeng (in front of Liang Hong Shun Tea Shop, Jakpetch Rd., 08-1682-6740, 08-9457-4709. Open Tue-Sun, 24 hours) has cheap standard bouquets. In the ordinary season, a bouquet with roses and a few lilies is about B350.

How long have you been here? How has it changed?
Since I was born. Pakklong wasn’t like today. It was an ordinary half-day market, not 24/7 like now.

Are you here all day?
No. There are different “shifts.” I have my space from 6am to 6pm.

Are you busy all day?
People come here all day, but things get really chaotic early in the morning and late at night. Unless it’s really too hectic, I usually have time to talk to people and help them.

How’s the money?
It depends. Normally, 50 roses go for B30, but during peak times, like Valentine’s Day, graduation or wedding seasons, the prices go up. In some years, prices have gone up to B150 for a bouquet before Valentine’s Day.

People say it’s better to come here early in the morning—is this true?
Flowers come in at 6pm every day at the Wat Ratchaburana market. So they’re fresher in the evening. People like me who get their space in the morning take the flowers home and keep them until it’s their time to sell.

Which flower is the best seller?
I’m more into roses because they sell well all year round.

Any tricks of the trade?
The nurseries wrap the flowers, so normally all I have to do is dip the head and bottom in clear water. But during the Valentine’s Day period, most sellers put the flowers in an ice tank, so when we take them out, the buds are bigger and fresher and they’ll last almost two weeks longer. But when you take them off the ice, they will bloom for only one day. So it’s risky to buy them before Valentine’s Day, because sometimes you end up with flowers that wither in three hours.

We had 300,000 visitors for the first year. The Resource Center’s membership is nearly 10,000. That’s a lot considering that people like to say Thais don’t like to read.

Actually I don’t think it’s true that we don’t like to read. It’s just that we don’t like formal learning spaces.

We are very intuitive and we like to learn in a relaxed and intuitive way. The Design Center was designed with that objective, to be relaxed.

We have to compete with shopping malls. At the end of the day, that’s the reality of it.

Just because it’s in a Sukhumvit mall doesn’t mean that only a certain group of people can visit.

I think Thais have a kind of concept of sakdina or hierarchy. We need to help the public to get rid of that. TCDC is a public space funded by taxes.

We have a very close understanding of people who come here. We do specific audience surveys and monitor all the activities here. Running a non-profit organization nowadays means you must use all the techniques that would apply to running a business.

Design objects are often victims of style more than anything else, especially in Thailand. They’re not really seen as a way to solve problems or improve your life. This is wrong. Design is about improving people’s lives by making the things around them better, friendlier and easier to use.

When you have a society that thinks design is just about style, then it becomes equated with middle class consuming.

In fact, design is everywhere. Even at a street market, there are lots of great designs and creativity.

TCDC was founded because we realize that since Thais have started to produce and export to the world, we’ve been trying to be cheaper or more efficient. But we cannot compete on price anymore; we have to compete on creativity and design.

The only way we can compete with Westerners is by reconstructing Western design icons and showing that they are based on certain processes that we already have in our country—but they’ve taken it to a deeper level or maybe simply applied higher technology to it, or to its production. We’re all about bringing audiences back into the Thai context.

With the “Isaan Retrospective” exhibition, we explored these ideas. It’s lifestyle that’s very Thai, with very simple things that we tend to overlook. We tried to show that you can use these as design ideas.

The Vivienne Westwood exhibition was about how she’s a working class girl. Her works were done in pretty much this perspective. She didn’t go to art school or come from a hiso family. Thais have this notion that design is for people with money.

All our exhibitions have some message that we want to convey. They represent different aspects of the design culture. There’s nothing cool about them. We hate anything cool.

If you asked Vivienne Westwood, she would tell you, “Go read books, but don’t follow them.”

If you look at trends and follow them, then you end up like everybody else. What’s important is the need to understand trends.

From palm reading to joss sticks to fortune cookies, there are many ways to learn your personal future. But if you want to know what will happen to other people, and the world in general, there are fewer options. Of these, one of the most popular is tarot reading. Curious as newly born 2007 kittens, we consulted with four masters of the cards and asked them for predictions on a range of topics.

The Country’s Big Men

"Are we going to have an election this year?"

Khata: The next election will be in early to mid-2008—so not within a year, as promised. Conflicts will arise around February, May and June, leading to a frightening confrontation, but finally respected men—not politicians—will come to the rescue.

Meen: Things will be more stable after six months. The election will happen but it will take some time. 

J: Around the end of November, we will know whose turn it is to rule the stage.

Mettawan: This year ends with a zero [2550 by the Thai calendar], so it’s not likely. I think the election will be early next year.

Will Mr. T come back?

Khata: He will be return to Thailand, but his chance of getting back his power again this year is zero. He’ll try but he won’t succeed.

Meen: He will be back with his wife but he won’t get involved in politics.

J: In July, the ex-ruler will be courageous enough to request that he be allowed to return. Seventeen months from his departure date, he will be able to come back.

Mettawan: He will not want to take part in politics again, but there are things he can do that others can’t. He will be forced into the political arena again.

Will the three provinces in the South become a separate country?

Khata: There’s no chance it will happen, at least not for 50 to 100 years. The situation will improve somewhat due to better understanding among the various parties by July. Unfortunately, conditions will worsen in the next three years.  

Meen: The situation will dramatically improve and the South will stay a part of our country

J: The Devil is the answer. There won’t be a separation this year, but the matter will reach the world stage.  

Will Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties be dissolved?

Khata: There is a 90-100% chance TRT will. But there isn’t any chance that the Democrat Party will be dissolved.

J: After March 21, both parties will pray for forgiveness, rather than a rebirth.  

Mettawan: The guilty individuals will pay, not the whole parties.

Does Somkid Jatusripitak stand a chance of being the next PM?

Khata: Somkid’s new party will be similar to Chart Thai or National Development parties that always go with the flow. 

Meen: He will take an important role in politics, but not as PM in 2008.

Mettawan: He doesn’t have a chance.

Will Thailand ever have a female PM?

Khata: There will be one, but not in the next 10-20 years.

Meen: Within 10 years the role of women in politics will increase, but there won’t be any female PM.

Mettawan: I don’t see a chance at all.

Will ABhisit get to be PM?

Khata: He will not, but the next prime minister will come from the Democrat Party.

Meen: He will stay as the party’s leader, become more respected and play a larger role in the political scene, but he will never become PM.

Mettawan: No, it’s not in his fortune.

Money-wise and More

With the new airport, will Thailand become the “gateway to SouthEast Asia”?

Khata: No, it won’t. The airport has to be ready for an accident or tragedy that will happen, and midyear Thailand will lose some credibility. There might be some epidemic that will prevent Suvarnnabhumi from being the aviation hub of Southeast Asia. 

Meen: It’s possible. This year commerce in Thailand will flourish, money will flow, foreigners will come invest and the median household income will increase.

J: The airport should get prepared because Thailand is ready to be the gateway to Southeast Asia.

Mettawan: Suvarnnabhumi has a chance. It’s bigger than the airports in lots of countries.

What kind of businesses will prosper this year?

Khata: Healthcare. People will pay more attention to health, living, beauty, body and mind. Also foreign affairs and communications. Property will boom at the end of the year.

Meen: Overall, the businesses that have effect on the mind or therapy business, like spa, will make a lot of money. Tourism and hotels will also grow.  

J: Healthcare, pharmaceuticals and property.

Mettawan: If you want to be rich, invest in the stock market.

Will the value of the baht increase or decrease?

Khata: The baht will weaken early in the year and gradually rise from February to March. It will decrease again from May to July.

Meen: It will drop during the first six months but will get higher later in the year.

Mettawan: It won’t increase.

Will BTS and MRT part II be finished on time?

Khata: The BTS won’t be later than the plan. The MRT won’t be on time—completion cannot be seen.

Meen: BTS will have problems in the beginning but will get through OK. The project won’t take longer than five years. MRT will face a postponement in the decision. There will be big problems.

Mettawan: Both BTS and MRT will be finished in due time for sure.

Entertainment

Will a Thai football team ever make it to the finals at the Olympics?

Khata: A Thai football team will stand a chance, but not the next Olympics. The chance will come 3-7 years from now.

Meen: Next year, a star in the Thai team will shine; he is young and enthusiastic and has good skill. It’s possible that he’s imported from abroad. He will be the striker who scores in an important match.

J: The next Olympics are still too soon.

Mettawan: They can.

Will Bird Thongchai have a new album this year?

Khata: Next year, Bird will have to be careful about his health, respiratory system and muscles. His album will come out and though it it won’t be as popular as the previous ones, it will be warmly welcomed.

Meen: He might have a new album, but if he wants it to be successful he will need help from others. He will need to sing with some other people and it should be a group of women.

J: He will but it will be somehow quieter. Money-wise it’s nothing exciting but his charm remains. It will be a good year for old people in the entertainment industry.

Mettawan: He won’t have one.

Can Tony Ja be as successful as Jackie Chan?

Khata: He will be successful in foreign countries, including Europe. Not as popular as Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, though. 

Meen: This year he will have to work harder and there will be a trivial problem with his agent. It will take around three years to get him to Hollywood. 

Mettawan: He won’t.

Will Tata Young go inter in the US or Europe—or get married?

Khata: This year, Tata will be even more famous but there will be no news of marriage.

Meen: She will get into a new market, either Europe or America. Her fame in Asia is already at its peak, though. For marriage, her boo will ask but she will refuse. She won’t get pregnant before marriage. 

J: America isn’t too hard for her. Her fortune is in Asia. Her love is going very well but marriage won’t come yet.

Mettawan: No. She will be famous only in Thailand.

Will Pen-ek Rattanarueng ever win an Oscar?

Khata: He will get nominated someday but won’t win.    

Meen: Pen-ek’s fortune will suffer during the first six months with personal problems, but he will get new international friends to invest in his movie. He won’t get an Oscar this year but he will win other international awards, like at Cannes.

Will Paradon ever return to form?

Khata: He will be back in one of the top rankings but won’t do any better than he already has.

Meen: His behavior will not go astray like before and he will have less gossip news about him and women. It’s possible that he’ll be ranked in the Top 20 again.

J: He’ll have to fight just to maintain his present position.

How will the nightlife scene be affected by the alcohol advertising ban?

Khata: The law won’t affect alcohol companies. Thai people will still choose to find happiness in nightlife and sex.

Lots of people were surprised to see me in politics. They always think of me as a social animal, businessperson or sportsman.

Changing careers from a businessman to a senator has been a turning point in my life.

One thing I learned is that there are still a large number of people who don’t understand democracy and sometimes don’t even care. They don’t know what their duty as a Thai citizen is.

I cannot teach everyone, but I can tell them what I have done through my books. Some people might read them and feel that they can do something, too.

I have no family relations in politics. I didn’t have a political background and I didn’t use my money to buy the title. I jumped and made my way in on my own.

What brought me to parliament were my connections, my knowledge and my standpoint. I can do it all by myself and I think my readers will find lots of things they can apply to their lives, too.

Politics affects everybody, not just people in business. It affects the social sector, education, living and everything else around us. If every part of society doesn’t pay attention, doesn’t care, or doesn’t understand, it will affect us all in many ways.

I think I have the potential and experience, so I’m going to try helping the country as much as I can.

I have had the opportunity to meet with those in need. They are sincere with me because they know that I want to help. It’s touching when you open to someone and they receive you sincerely.

The experience helped me learn more about the problems of others, not only those of my family or relatives. I couldn’t solve the problem of poverty but I think I helped make life better for some people and their children.

I had people running to me asking me to help them and promising me something in return. One person even recorded the conversation, like some kind of blackmail set up. If a person like me face such situations, what would happen to an ordinary person who wants to work for the country?

People looked at the list of senators and called us names like “family senators.” Give us a chance; don’t judge us by our surnames. Regretfully we couldn’t do anything much in our eight months before the coup came.

I don’t agree with the stereotype that having a big surname or some politician relatives will make people bad.

The most important thing for me is to contribute to the country. I feel that I have enough potential to help besides just paying taxes.

Wang Lang, at Siriraj Pier, is a paradise for anyone from auntie shoppers to dek naew wanna-bes. There’s everything here from food to toys, but the majority of the buzz centers on the second hand clothes. Wang Lang gets busy every day from 10am to 6pm. Most people go there by boat (B13 from Sathorn Pier and B3 from Phrachan Pier). After landing from the boat, you will find many stores on the dock, but ignore them (the boatmen whispered to us that all the stuff on the dock is from Sampeng). Just walk past that through the soi, turn left and then turn right again at the first corner, and you will arrive at the popular section of Wang Lang. Along the way, you can find lots of skirts, pants, jeans and bags, with prices starting as low as B10. Even though Wang Lang is smaller and has less variety than Saphan Phut, it’s easier to walk here and it’s open to the broad daylight so you can clearly see what you are buying. If you are lucky enough, you can find some quality goods at incredibly low prices. Things along the road are quite mixed and some of the stuff is from Sampeng, so we’ll recommend two of the best spots you should drop in.

The first one is a garage-like space with a green roof Inside there are lots of second hand shoes and bags. The goods are appropriate for both sporty and retro people. If you want something that looks quite new, you have to pay around B300-700. Those good looking ones are cleaned and repaired. But if you don’t mind the smell and dirt, you can opt for the very cheap ones in shabby condition, priced from B10-90, then get to work washing it with hot water and bleach.

Another good spot to check out is a narrow soi locally called Soi Big Kung. This soi is a mix of second hand goods and new products from dek naew owners. Around 100 meters from the entrance, on your left, you will find a cool looking shop with original designed shirts, T-shirts, skirts and pants. The quality is similar to any boutique in Siam Square but the price is cheaper—around B200-600 per item. Walking in further, you will find a second hand jeans shop, with hip retro neckties. This section is open quite late so it’s better to show up later in the evening.

Wear sandals and shorts because it will be easier when you want to try on something and it’s cooler, as well. Before you go, remember to check the tide because if the place is flooded it can be a real hell on earth.

How did you get started in art?
I have always been fond of art even when I studied in the Faculty of Education. My teacher was so excited that a guy at my age would be enthusiastic enough to hold a solo exhibition. I was the first in my year to have one.

Why didn’t you become a government teacher?
Because I want to work with children and I wanted a certain degree of freedom and creativity in my teaching methods.

What is art therapy?
If a kid cannot walk straight like ordinary people, we can use music or poetry to help him find a balance, to help him organize his body. Art therapy helps balance your mind, your life and sometimes your body. It’s called art therapy but it’s not restricted to drawing or painting only. It can be sculpture, movement or whatever. In Germany, they divide it into subcategories like clay therapy or painting therapy.

Where did you learn this kind of therapy?
I learned from Bordox, an idealistic school that has been operating for more than a hundred years. It doesn’t teach art but it teaches humanism. It focuses on working with children aesthetically. Art isn’t just a subject; it’s a drive to grow and flourish. The school uses art to elevate the mind of the patient, to relax their mind and to cure them.

How did you start as an art therapist here?
I presented my portfolio at Samitivej Hospital and Doctor Jom, who works in the children psychology department, got interested so he asked me to join. The more I worked, the more I saw changes in Thai society. There’s an unnoticed imbalance that happens in a materialistic society. There are more and more rare diseases occurring with people. I see how violence and the lack of love in a family can affect a child. There are many similar cases.

I stand between the artists and the audience. My duty is to bridge the masses and the art.

When I stepped into this job, I felt Tadu was a white room that seemed quite cold and even unwelcoming. What I expected was to make it a space for everybody. It’s getting closer to that point now.

I like it here because you can drink water or coffee when you browse around, so people can feel relaxed.

Life is short but art lives on. This saying was proven after the first seven years at the old venue in RCA. The restaurant in the Yontrakit showroom changed continually with the trends of the time, but Tadu stays the same.

When I was a schoolboy, I walked past an exhibition in River City and got a chance to meet an artist. He was very cool with a beard, white hair and a dark blue outfit. It was Pratuang Emcharoen. I didn’t know where the future would take me, but he made me feel interested in art.

I was nervous when I first took this job, as I had no solid knowledge in art. I only knew that whether it was art or culture, it needed management.

I didn’t feel afraid—I just felt that I didn’t know much about art and I wanted to learn more.

Attracting people to art is a hard job. Art stands on people’s expectations, and when it’s not what they expect, they just don’t care anymore.

Tadu tries to hold workshops so that artists and audiences can meet and get to know one another. If the audience is interested enough, they might get inspired to create something when they go home.

I am ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the audience. These workshops are something I want to attend, as well. I want to grow with the audience.

Our goal is to support new artists and to walk along with the audience. We try to educate people, for example how to distinguish video art from a short film.

Art always gets ahead of us. Whenever you think you are getting the concept about color or a certain style, trends switch to something not color or style-relevant. The management part in me needs to better foresee these trends and shorten this gap.

I never think that other galleries are my competitors. In the bigger picture, we all are working together.

Tadu doesn’t make good money at all comparing to other galleries, but it expresses our goal and what we are doing. As we have Yontrakit as a supporter, artists don’t have to pay for space rental. This helps relieve their burden. The gallery is also open for all art-related use, which gives the place life.

There are so many well-know artists, emerging artists and international artists, but our audience is very small.

Sometimes even if you don’t understand art, try observing it without understanding and see what happens. You might find a message the artists have hidden in the pictures or something the artists didn’t intend to express at all.

Each exhibition needs lots of time to perfect. There’s a lot of labor and money put into it for the audience, so don’t be afraid to check it out.

How do you know one another?
First: Kak and I were old bandmates and we got the other three to replace the leaving members. Yuth was introduced to me through our first album’s producer and he brought in Vit and Auto, his friends.

Why is your sound on this album so different?
First: We didn’t really express ourselves on the first album. Back then, we didn’t have enough experience, so the producers wrote the songs for us. With this band and the new members, we spent two years learning about making music. This album came out the way we wanted it to be.

How was it working with Scott Moffatt as your producer?
First: When we finished all the songs and were ready for recording, we realized that it is a process we had little knowledge about. Scott arrived just at the right time.
Yuth: He helped make the sound more international.

Do you tour a lot these days?
Yuth: We do about three to four concerts a week, but before it was like seven days a week.

You must be rich.
Kak: We only get paid two out of every 20 shows.

On your album, some songs are very accessible but others are not.
Kak: Accessibility is never in our mind when we make music. We never think that we have to make this song commercial or make that song artistic. Every song is Slot Machine-style.

Last words?
First: We put all our effort into the album. I think it’s worth buying. Please don’t buy pirated CDs.