FOND FAREWELL
My parents and I went to pay respects and condolences to the Supreme Patriarch yesterday. There were so many people who were arriving continually. Not only Thais were there — there were foreigners, too. This means that the Patriarch's generosity and goodness live on in every heart, especially people who are part of several projects that were under his patronage. I'm proud and glad to have joined in the ceremony. I hope that his sacred soul slept comfortably in heaven. Pornchai Saetae, It's good that you got to bid farewell to such an important religious figure, Pornchai. Funerals and memorials are important parts of our culture. They help us to deal with our grief and to reflect upon the life of the person we're honouring and what they meant to us. People who are important to us live on in our minds, and hopefully help us to be better people as we grow. — Editor |
NEW YEAR REFLECTION
Hi, My Name’s Book, and I’m 17 years old. This is my first letter to Student Weekly.
It is New Year’s. Thailand is well-known for festivals that take place all the year round. Most of these festivals are influenced by Buddhist and Brahminic religions. However, with the passage of time, a number of new ones have been adopted in deference to international practice.
Krittaphat Wangsuwan,
Uthai Thani
Thai people are very good at adopting and adapting to new influences on their culture, Book. That's why there are so many holidays and festivals celebrated here to one extent or another. I think that being open to new experiences and traditions is an important part of adapting to the modern world and realising all of the things that it has to offer. — Editor
FIRST AND FOREMOST
Most people are interested in two square meals — lunch and dinner. But the meal that is the most important is breakfast.
If the body gets no nutrients from breakfast, it will have an effect on the brain, which is the most important organ in the body. If you have breakfast, you will be enthusiastic and fresh all day.
Some reasons that student don't eat breakfast are because they get up late or they may be lazy. This will cause them to be confused when they study. They will be sleepy and not be able to focus.
Breakfast is essential to our lives. I hope that everybody will eat it.
Lalita Kamnerdtanmanee,
Udon Thani
Breakfast is an important meal, maybe the most important, Lalita. Science certainly does bear that out. There are tons of studies that have shown how much better people perform when they've had a healthy start to the day. Then there are people like me, who feel nauseated if they have to eat first thing in the morning. I always have to wait at least an hour or two before I can eat anything. — Editor
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Vocabulary
- condolence (n): sympathy that you feel for somebody when a person in their family or that they know well has died
patronage (n): the system by which an important person gives help or a job to somebody
sacred (adj): connected with religion or a god
grief (n): feeling of great sadness, especially when somebody dies
deference (n): behaviour that shows that you respect somebody or something
adapt (v): to change your behaviour in order to deal more successfully with a new situation
nutrient (n): a substance that is needed to keep a living thing alive and to help it to grow
focus (v): to give attention, effort, etc. to one particular subject
bear something out (phrasal v): to show that something is right or that something is true
nauseated (adj): feeling like you have to vomit
Idiom
square meal: a good, satisfying meal
