Only a small group of people know my real love for jazz. My family is full of musicians who play jazz. My passion is the jazz guitar.
Sometimes you must be patient in order to reach your dream. I wanted to be a jazz musician but there was no audience for it a decade ago. If I’d tried to release a jazz album right away, it would have been career suicide.
Jazz is like fine art for me. It’s this abstract thing that not everyone will truly appreciate or understand. On the other hand, rock is something people get right away.
Being a rock star was one step in achieving my dream. I love jazz but I also love to sing rock songs. Rock was my passport into the music industry, thanks to the success of my first album (Catarock, 1998). If I released a jazz album today, it wouldn’t be a problem as the genre is now more widely known.
An artist’s image must be adaptable to endure in this industry. I think my fans would be bored if I just served up the same music album after album. With my new album, Catarock OSX, I decided to work with some new, emerging talents who have helped me start a new chapter, while maintaining my signature rock ballad sound.
Everyone has an identity but not all can show it. Many musicians struggle with this. All I can say is find a role model, learn from their work and attune things according to your experiences.
Being afraid of not being popular will only destroy your work. Many artists are trapped with this fear that their work won’t be a success and don’t focus on making their work the way they want.
Make your mindset crystal clear and stick to it. Look at the T-Bone band: they played ska-reggae for more than two decades when no one really knew what it was. Now they are undoubtedly the number one ska band in Thailand.
Alcohol is to blame for the darkest part of my life. I forgot to focus on what I love to do, music, and just hung around with people getting drunk every night. I even lay down in the middle of the road in RCA because I was so drunk.
I drank so much that I didn’t care about anything anymore, even my family and music. I would record songs when I was drunk and listen to them when I was sober. I would be like, “What the hell is this?”
I even got to the point where I didn’t want to play music anymore. I was an idol for so many people and I was like, “Is this all there is for me?”
Having a kid made me reconsider my behavior. I couldn’t go on acting like trash once I had [my son] Tigger. I wouldn’t have lived long enough to see him be successful if I kept on living like that.
Find a place that lets you be at peace. I was lucky that I changed when I did. My energy was about to run out. I needed to find somewhere to recharge myself.
Entering the monkhood led to my rebirth. It lasted only two weeks but it was totally worth it. All I did was meditate in a temple deep in the jungle. After I finished, I knew my life had begun again.
You won’t change if you don’t sit still and, with full consciousness, decide what what you really want to be. It’s like pressing a reset button, then you can start doing whatever you wish for.
It was my fault that I neglected to take care of my son when I was with my first wife [Nicole Theriault]. I thought everything would be fine as we had a nanny so I always went out for gigs and got drunk.
Nothing is better than getting the chance to right a wrong. The best thing about being reborn was getting the chance to spend time with my son, even though I had divorced from Nicole. I tried to be his daddy, not just the drunken guy I used to be.
Life is not all about setting big goals. I’m now really into writing and I’m planning to release my first book soon, Fang Fuek Len (Listen, Practice, Play), in which I talk about life and music. I’m also trying to finish my master’s in jazz studies at Rangsit University, where I’m also a special instructor.
As I get older, I want to spread my experience and knowledge. It’s better than just sitting at home after you’re retired from music.
I love taking pictures, especially using HDR [High Dynamic Range, a technique which produces painterly colors]. Some people think this makes pictures too dramatic to be realistic. But I see it as a great way to expand my creativity, making a simple photo into whatever my imagination dreams up.
Know yourself. Everyone wants to fulfill their desires. But you won’t unless you know what you really want.
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Source: Transport Statistics Sub-Division, Planning Division, Department of Land Transport
Source: Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning
Source: Thai police, Reported Traffic Law violations from Jan-Jul, 2013
Source: NIDA POLL
Pol Col Weerawit Wajjanapukka, chief of the Traffic Police Division's ticket information centre
What is the major cause of Bangkok’s traffic problems?
Many factors contribute to it. For starters, there are too many vehicles which automatically leads to congestion on our roads. Other hindrances include poor road conditions and heavy rain. But another significant problem that worsens traffic is bad driving habits. While we cannot do much to fix our city’s physical limitations, driving behavior is very easy to improve. So it’s a shame that instead of taking some responsibility, many drivers just make the problem worse. It’s important we make improvements now before traffic gets out of hand.
How bad is the problem?
Earlier this year, the BBC ranked Bangkok as the worst city for traffic. In second, I think, was Jakarta. That sums up how big and serious the problem is. It’s crucial that every relevant party helps each other. Another shocking statistic came from World Health Organization, which this year listed Thailand as number one for fatal road accidents in Southeast Asia. It’s been recorded that about 38 out of 100,000 people die from road accidents. This is a serious issue that needs society’s full attention. It will only get worse unless we come together now.
“It’s all down to a lack of responsibility and discipline from drivers.”
What are the most common situations causing traffic congestion?
We see it every day: many cars parking in restricted areas, driving in the wrong lane and not stopping at red lights only to clog up intersections. We get many complaints about public buses parking illegally, too. Sometimes it’s understandable because other cars are clogging up the left lane or, even worse, parking at bus stops. When a public bus can’t get to the bus stop, it has to stop in the next lane and ends up blocking the second lane, too. You see here how one little irresponsible action causes a chain reaction. One traffic problem on one street always affects the nearby roads, and it’s worse at rush hour. It’s all down to a lack of responsibility and discipline from drivers.
Why do you think drivers act like that?
It’s a lack of social values, or put simply, selfishness. Small things like parking in a restricted area, double parking, many people think “oh, it’s only for a few minutes,” but everyone’s “few minutes” add up and really affect traffic. In the worst cases, drivers park their cars on bends in the road, leading to serious accidents. Aside from irresponsible parking, changing lanes in prohibited areas is another common bad practice; for example, cutting the queue near an intersection or before going on a bridge. It seems most drivers only display road etiquette to pass their driving test. It’s very important that everyone puts those values and correct practices into practice. Strict law enforcement alone can only fix the tip of the problem; we need contributions from every driver.
Does age, gender or type of vehicle come into play when pointing out bad drivers?
We treat everyone equally, so cases are not recorded by these variables. So, no, we cannot really say that. Sometimes supercar drivers drive very safely and sometimes city cars drive extremely dangerous. It’s difficult to stereotype drivers by their cars.
How are we dealing with the problem?
We’re pushing law enforcement to include more concrete action. Now, cars parked in restricted areas during high-traffic hours will be towed away without exception. We are installing more cameras that can capture violators, whether it’s for speeding, illegal overtaking or lane straddling. We are taking the road traffic problem very seriously and hope everyone else does the same.
Source: Royal Thai Police
1. Petchaburi Road, Asoke-Petchburi Junction
2. Expressway, Phayathai elevation
3. Sukhumvit Soi 24
4. Ladprao Soi 101
5. Rama 2 Road, in front of Central Plaza Rama 2
6. Kheha Romklao, Attaya Satit School Junction
7. On Nut Soi 77, near Big C Extra
8. Suvinthawong Road, outbound at Km52-55
9. Rama 9 Road, Rama 9 – Praditmanuthum intersection
10. Navamin Road, in front of the National Housing Authority.
Source: Thai Traffic Police and Bangkok Traffic and Transportation Department
Note : BK's Take on These Figures
These figures are from the Royal Thai Police and we find them very odd. Most international statistics on accidents blame driver error, with hardly any accidents due to the vehicle itself. In Bangkok, the police is telling us just the opposite. It claims that the vehicle is to blame in 30 percent of accidents. As for speeding, it's supposedly a factor in only 5 percent of Bangkok's accidents. That figure is unusally low. Most countries blame speeding for some 40 percent of accidents. Finally, the Bangkok police doesn't record distracted drivers at all. Even at a national level, Thailand attributes 11 percent of its accidents to cell phone use or drinking a beverage while driving, and 8 percent of accidents are attributed to setting the dial on the radio or chatting with passengers. That would translate to 7,030 of Bangkok's recorded accidents per year! This all begs the question: why is Bangkok's police so unusually focused on blaming vehicles instead of drivers?
Souurce: Royal Thai Police
Chanin Subsinserm, 59, taxi driver
Every bus that ends with 8: 8, 28, 38. And all those running from Pathumthani, especially the 33. Motorcyclists who do u-turns on the bridge—they don’t care about anything except escaping the police. Pick-up trucks, which for some reason like to drive on the wrong side of the road. Public vans are no better—140km/h is the minimum speed they drive outside Bangkok. One big problem is that they park permanently at Victory Monument. How can the BMA let this happen, especially in front of Rachwithee Hospital? This cuts off all the lanes. These are the causes of our traffic problems. I feel for the traffic police. They are not bad people, they’re just doing their duty. Yes, we give them a hundred baht, but we are really guilty in most cases. Believe me, over 10,000 taxis in Bangkok are driving without the right taxi driver card.
Lee Sae Lim, 43, tuk tuk driver
They are all equally bad! Motorcycles, buses, taxis. These joint public-private buses are the most monstrous. Number 1 and 75 are the worst, if not the air-conditioned 504 bastards running from Pathumthani. Lane straddling is their favorite hobby, from far left to the right lane. Let’s not talk about when they start racing. I could show you Silom corner or in front of Robinson (Bangrak), the buses try to claim an extra lane every day. Wait, will they come beat me up when you publish this? Let’s be balanced. Not all drivers are bad, really. There are good and bad drivers. I cannot blame them; sometimes I drive badly, too. We all have emotions. Can you drive nicely when you are in bad mood? We all drive for money. We are all in a hurry.
Seri Prajuabboon, 56, taxi motorcyclist
I’ve seen them all. Bad private cars, tuk tuks, buses. Yes, and taxis—they will park whenever they want. And once they finish discussing business with the passenger, they’ll just come back into traffic right away. Nobody cares about using their indicators anymore. I don’t want to talk myself into trouble, but taxis and public buses really just park where they want to. We can only watch out for ourselves. They are not even bothered to apologize after they hit you. We just have to get on with it.
Kiattiyot Chroendee, 55, 187 bus driver
The traffic jams are often caused by those driving too slowly. We drive fast with discipline, which is different to driving fast and dangerously. You know, when regular passengers board the bus, they are happy to see that I’m driving. They know they’ll get home fast. The 187 runs to Khlong Sam (from Sri Phraya Pier), which is normally a three-hour trip. I think most passengers prefer fast drivers, but skilled ones. Private cars can drive at any speed they like, but I’m driving for people who want to get to their destinations as fast as they can. Of course, those who are not on board might think differently. Our income relies on making our routes.
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I have a childish imagination. As a kid, my parents both worked hard as doctors, so I spent a lot of time at home watching cartoons and playing with my toy robots. This expanded my imagination. And I still tap into that today in my work.
I love science fiction more than fantasy. For me, fantasy is surreal, but I prefer fiction that points at a possible future. This helps you work creativity to make things happen.
I like small offices. I’ve never worked with more than 10 people in my office. When I graduated from architecture at Chulalongkorn, it was the time of the Tom Yam Kung crisis so I decided to go work abroad in Singapore, where we had only four people. It was the same in my next job in the Netherlands, too. Now I have only 6-7 employees.
Living abroad expands your mind. You have to adapt to different societies. In Singapore, for instance, things are quite strict, while in the Netherlands, where I did my master’s in architecture and city planning, there is so much freedom. People aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, there, which brings great rewards.
Working with people your age is not always ideal. I founded a company with my friends right after I came back from the Netherlands. But it didn’t go well as we all wanted to do things our own way. That’s why I started Super Machine five years ago. It’s my killer machine.
Architects are like ducks. We can do everything, but only a little bit of each, like ducks can only swim, dive and fly a little. Architects must know a bit of everything to drive them further.
Architecture records history. It’s not just about designing something to serve the needs of people; it must say something about changes in society, too.
New and old architecture can sit side by side. All over the world, there are lots of old buildings that have been preserved for new forms or uses, like Las Arena, a decayed bullring in Barcelona, Spain, that’s been transformed into a mall complex rather than being razed.
I don’t believe in making timeless designs. Some people think that our designs are too bold and that people will get bored with them after a short time. But sometimes when you’re preoccupied with making something timeless, it limits your real creativity.
Thais often make hasty decisions. When you don’t think things over you end up with skin-deep beauty. Just look at government projects or when local administrations decide to build something with a Thai touch. They end up not designing it properly and coming up with some weird building with weird Thai touches.
I love to play with cultural issues in my design. The Big Mountain festival is a turning point for my work. When I was assigned to create the facilities for the festival, I discovered that I love to approach our culture in a sarcastic but creative way.
I love sticker-selling street carts. They totally reflect our culture. Somehow three unrelated things—stickers, colorful balloons and ceramic piggy banks—can be sold side by side and they make perfect sense.
Thai society is insane now. Looking at the political turmoil, it’s clear we’re living by emotions not logic. Many people are posting things on Facebook and assumingpeople all over the country think the same. It’s not the case! There are millions of people out there who aren’t your friends on Facebook and they don’t think the same as you. Look at things logically.
Design is so broad nowadays. Everything is merging together. That’s why Super Machine isn’t limited only to architecture—we love to create everything.
I can’t do any one thing for too long. I always work play on Facebook while working, chatting and walking around. I never read one book at a time as I love to read a little of each. That’s why I always have dozens of books on my bed stand.
I like nerdity. It’s good to really understand an issue that you’re interested in. It’s fun to be deeply fascinated in something—it makes the working process flow nicely, too.
I love challenging myself, trying new things and seeing how far I can go. I used to go biking with my employees and found out these grandpas and ladies would easily overtake me. How could that happen? I went crazy training so now I can easily ride 300 kilometers. Next I aim to do a triathlon.
Travel is my ultimate passion. I work to save money to travel.
Traveling helps you understand why things are the way they are. You experience history and see the journey of people and things over time. Then you can apply this knowledge to your future tasks.
The more you see, the more you grow. That’s why I always bring my employees along when I travel to places like India, Cambodia, Spain and Japan. I’m planning to go to Peru next.
Freedom is important. I work with customers who give me the freedom to create work the way we want to answer their desires. I also work to save up money to travel anytime that I want without having to worry about timeframe or work preventing me from doing what I want to.
Trust your instincts. This is what I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older. The more you use reason, the more it will restrict your imagination.
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New Year’s resolutions come in January. But we’d actually like to fit into that tight dress or tailored shirt for the Dec 31st party. And besides, with all the indulgence that’s coming up, this could be a good time to compensate with some healthier activities, instead of postponing things to 2014. To help, BK has rounded up ways to whip your ass back into shape in four short weeks or less and divided them into three flavors: Healthy Pampering, Balance Boosters and Bootcamp Busters. Ready, set, go!
 Jatenipit Lapanavanich, 27, business owner
I went to the gym with a friend for a flying yoga class but once we were there, she realized that she had forgotten her gym clothes at home. She insisted on doing the class in her casual clothes, which was fine until a difficult pose when her pants ripped.
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 Chichanupong Chucherdratana, 24, freelancer
While I was exercising at the gym, a guy started hopping on different machines doing his own poses rather than following the instructed ones for each machine. He was doing these weird hand and leg movements; it was kind of like a traditional Thai Dance.
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 Sompobb Kittisaratham, 24, freelance stylist
In one of my aerobics classes, our teacher forgot the steps. Luckily there was this lady who attended classes everyday who continued to dance. So, the teacher gave her the opportunity to come up the front and teach the whole class. I must say she was better than the teacher.
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