Letter of the week

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE I came across this inspirational quote on a blog recently: “You are born, and then you die; but in between you can do anything you want. It is society that creates rules for us, but you can break out of that.” This gave me motivation to start living without being concerned about what other people think. Nowadays we pay attention to what society thinks of us more than what we think of ourselves. Throughout our life choices, it is our own selves who face the consequences — not the people who told us what our lives were “supposed” to be. You only live once, so why waste it living other people’s dreams? Chaba Charoensak, Bangkok That's a pretty good philosophy of life, Chaba. As an individual, you are free to do anything you want. It's important to know that some things you might want to do society tends to frown on. You're still free to do them, but there might be consequences to your actions. But I know that you're not advocating doing anything illegal or immoral — your more interested in what Joseph Campbell called "following your bliss." That basically means doing what makes you happy and fulfilled helps you have a satisfying life. I think that if more of us did that, it would be a happier, more peaceful world. — Editor

 

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PICK-UP ARTIST

I had a really good time during Songkran this year. My friends and I went out, riding in the back of a pick-up with a big barrel of water. We splashed people as we drove around our neighbourhood.

Don't worry, though. We did not drive fast, and nobody was drinking alcohol.

After dark, we were tired, so we all went to my friend's house to clean up. After that we ate food and played games. It was a very enjoyable time for all of us.

Montien Nimsawad,
Bangkok

I'm glad that you had a good time, Montien. I'm also glad that you made it through the festivities in one piece. Riding in the back of a pick-up can be pretty dangerous. Back home, it's illegal, and the cops are sure to give you a ticket if they see you doing it. That being said, there are a lot of things I see here that are pretty dangerous, and most people get away with doing them. As long as the driver and the passengers are careful, I don't think it's that big a deal. But I always hate seeing people in the back of trucks as they're whizzing down the expressway, though. That's just crazy. — Editor

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POETRY IN MOTION

Hooray! I got a summer break after studying hard throughout this long semester. For this semester, I decided to take two literature classes: Shakespeare’s Works and Masterpieces of World Literature. I had to read many books in a very short time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish those books because I’m a slow reader. It took me almost two hours to finish a chapter. Do you have any technique to improve speed-reading skills? I hope my skill will increase in the next semester.

Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays that I had to read. It’s about the royal family of England. Richard was the king of England at that time and he killed every person in his lineage such as his wife, brothers and nephews. The story seemed to be a tragedy. I think I prefer reading comedy or romance to tragedy.

Nujamee Ngasakul,
Bangkok

I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare, Nujamee. I've seen nearly every play performed live, and I enjoy seeing the various movie versions of his plays. The language takes some getting used to, but it's really beautifully written and well worth the effort. If you're interested in continuing your study of the Bard's works, I strongly suggest finding a copy of Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, by Issac Asimov. It's a really wonderful guide and analysis of every play and poem. And it's relatively easy and fun to read. As for improving your reading speed, the best thing that you can do is keep reading as much as you can. As with everything, reading takes practise. The more you do it the better you get. Keep in mind, though, that different people read at different speeds. You may never read as fast as some other people. That's OK. — Editor

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