Shopping: Shopaholic as a Postmodernism

The last blog of this semester, I would give it to shopping since it is my lifestyle and it’s in everybody’s culture that every one is shopping but it depends on how much you do on it. The shopping culture is so into the world that it is made in a film like Shopaholic which the main character is, yes, a shopaholic who is obsessed with shopping that she made every big deal about clothes, shoes and anything on department store, and the best part as she can’t be happy with simple clothes without any brand.

Ideology of A Perfect Guy

Since there was a Korean influence, the perfect guy ideal is changed to more like a Korean look. That looks are involved many parts of the body like hair-style, face, skin, and a perfect body but still Thainess, since Thai women would prefer someone who is her nationality speaking the same language as her, for example Nichkhun, he is the best case in point right now when talking about a perfect guy, every time every girl including me see his face, it’s kind of melting their hearts with a cute smile on his bright face and hair with more hair covered a little on his face and the style of clothes that look teenage and gentlemen. Also the body with a little muscle which called six-packed which for Nichkhun is not too much not too little. Although as his  career, he is a singer of 2PM band, audience particularly women seem to not care much about his talent but his good-looking appearance which everyone now would dream about and would answer Nichkhun if they were asked who is your dream man.

Sexed Bodies: Third Gender

As we all know, generally, human beings have only 2 sexes: male and female. But it is not, it was an old theory in an old version of book about Gender. Right here, right now, there are more, there are gays, lesbians, queers, etc. But those aren’t what I’m going to talk about; recently there is one person who has presented the new kind of woman, transgender female, and that person is Nok Yollada, she is the one who fights for her own right and duty as a woman. The point is as she hasn’t been accepted in the society yet, she is still what we are so called kra-toey(กะเทย). But Kra-toey doesn’t just exist in Thailand, there are in almost every country and each has a name for them like US, it’s more as a queer or hermaphrodites and Kra-teoy is a name calling for Thais. As we all know that these people are physically male and mentally female, their appearance or what they are affording is how to make themselves look like a woman the best way they can like dressing, walk, talk, etc. But it isn’t enough to be a perfect evolution to a woman, like taking hormones, surgery, and the operation to female organ. With those means, right now some Kra-toey like Poy Treechada is said to be more beautiful than some real women as she has no spots to carp her as a guy, if you don’t really really notice at her voice. As they are so beautiful like a woman that there is a beauty contest between Kra-toey called Miss Tiffany. Now the question is pointing that how you can distinguish between real women and post-operated women since right now they are so harmonious to the society especially for men that they just see a person with a beautiful appearance without any notice that she was a man before. Still they are something between male and female. And each country has its own treat to these people, although there are some that accept them as one woman as there has been a law for changing their title of the name and that is able them to marry to a guy and have a perfect family life but there are still some people who can’t like Thailand due to their social context that Kra-toey is still what they disgust rather than treat them like ladies.

Hot Dog

“Hot Dog”, for any one who hasn’t heard or seen or tasted before would not know that it is a kind of food; it may sound like a food made from dog meat and it is grilled to hot. But in fact, it is a grilled sausage with a bun covered it. Hot dog has its origin from USA and widely spread into other countries since it is a grab-and-go food and convenient to find, as from the subject reading “Hot Dog a Global History” by Bruce Kraig states, “It maybe the most flexible American food”, In many American movies or series, when having one scene in the park, it always has a hotdog selling boot as a part of the scene; it shows that it is in every American’s food of every day life. Though some other country like Thai, hot dog’s selling is still in only some place as seen mostly in the theater or an amusement park because they copy the arrangement of the form from American’s culture.

The Difference Ways in Eating

In addition to food, there is one culture apart from food culture that identifies nationality of each one which is the style of eating. I think sometimes why we have to differentiate it since it is just to put the food into your mouth and chew, but that is what we call “cultural difference”.

From the Stone Age, human start to eat their food with their own hands along with human development, when compared to Thais in previous days, there isn’t much change but to add more about more manners as they had set a table for eating rather than eat from trees and as Thais always not have a talking between since it is rude.

Also China, they have chopsticks as a sign for eating like when you see this it links to the signature food which is noodles and also they like to raise their legs on the chair and talk with mouth chewing to show the close relationship between others around the table, though it may be disgusting for other nationalities, it is their culture.

Another country with a deep manner of eating is Japan; there was a neat from start to finish like before digging in the food there has a sentence or a tell to the people in the table that you’re going to eat it or even when you finish. They also use chopsticks like Chinese but more neatly like eating noodles of Japan or “Ramen”, every time they had finished the dishes, they will carry it on and drink the soup from the bowl.

To look at western culture, there was a practice in eating manners especially in royal family or riches as they use aprons lying on their laps and have the means in using spoon, fork, or knife like a small spoon using with coffee only or desserts and chewing with the lowest sound you can make and have a hardly conversation between the meal, they will wait until dessert or tea served, so that’s when the talk or chat start.

Right now since there were influences from countries to countries, people start to eat different kinds and nationalities of food, it leads to the means of eating that those means are widely well-known the same as the food as one kind of Japanese food like sushi, and it is weird when having lunch in Japanese restaurants and eating them with spoon and fork or eating rice with chopsticks.

Modernity: Blackberry

Since last 2009 that Blackberry has become one part of people’s lives and the other brands of phones have dropped down, I have seen that a good point of having it as a communication tool is that you can chat through its messenger without calling with a bill later but beyond that it is just the same as other brand. Although I’m not a user of this phone, I don’t see any important points of using it yet and that’s why I’m not willing to buy it, for me, a regular phone with a camera is fine and a part for texting though I can barely text. It is just what is we call “modernity”. So, to conclude, modernity is easily described as something that is new and that people give all attention to at that time. For when you are at some place that most of them use Blackberry, but you just take out a simple phone that has more functions or options than it, you will be thought as an old-fashioned.

Beauty and Women

Women and beauty, they belong together, as seen in many department stores at the beauty department; it is surrounded by women like they ruled this floor. Beauty has been attached to women’s lives since it has many benefits to them. Like in

1. Careers

As now women have more roles, so does their beauty. As seen in actresses or artists, the ability to act or sing isn’t what people judge them anymore, so if they are cute or can keep their beauty, their career will go forward than those who are not. Also in some business company, as there is a man as the boss, it is quite bias when women one with all beauty and also talent come to apply a job will be considered.

1. Beauty contest

Also many contests of beauty, they have become annual competitions, and the winner or sometimes the runner-up will be invite to the entertainment careers.

 And the tools women have used to beautify them are

1. Cosmetics

2. Clothes

3. Shoes

4. Fragrance

5. Purses

6. Accessories like necklace

Though these tools can be changed all the time due to the trend or interest of people, it is a job for women to follow them to be fashioned. But it didn’t stop at those tools.

Furthermore, there are many places now that can make you be beautiful more like spa, many beauty institute which provide you a short-cut to beauty but with more costs. All of these have been put a belief by women that they can make them beautiful in a blink of an eye. So it has become another beauty culture. Besides now there is a subset of beauty which is Surgery. Since now women haven’t get enough with what their parents or descendents have given them, there are concerned about more beauty with their faces like nose, lips, face-shape or eye layer. So it is followed by a nose-job for example. Additionally they are concerned about “natural” look; it is to be beautiful without make-up or to be beautiful without any help and they don’t have any responsibility to tell anyone that they had done a surgery. Women start to give an attention to it more and more, so it leads to the exaggerating look. In many countries like US, though many actresses had done many surgeries especially their breasts, it is still not natural due to the oversized of them.

It would not be up-to-date, if I didn’t mention Korean beauty.

As now Korean beauty has widely spread thorough all over Thailand as Thais think it is in trend with the Korean looks gaining from actors, actresses, artists. From eyes, face shape, skin, hair styles or even the characteristics. Even if Thais know that celebs they are repeating had done many surgeries, for sure, eyes, they choose to follow it. Consequently it leads to a surgery culture in Thailand too.

Korea has fame in having a good surgery since almost of their entertainers had done it. It is a trend that Korean should be a white skin type with good-looking Asian look, thus Women choose to have take care more of their skins. Another thing to add up in this look is the contact lens which mostly we call “Big eyes” contact. It makes your eyes look bigger, for someone, it gives a feeling of a baby’s eye or a doll’s eye depending on its color you have chosen, but some people, it’s too scary for some whose eyes already big themselves and wear these.

Home & House

Since I’ve known the 2 English words, house and home, they are quite similar in the meaning in Thai, but when looking for definitions in English, there is a difference. In my understanding, it is Home which has got a deep meaning of feelings than House. Why? As I have watched some movie that has a sentence as when someone got home and said like “I’m home” or when some miss their hometown while they had been far away for a quite some time and they said “there is no place like home”, I got to think about warmth or feelings about how you love your home than just a residence or even when some movie character used to live in an old slum before and one day got a luck to live in a place where is much more better than, but still he wasn’t happy. So, it is not just you have a house and you’re happy but to have it as a home, of course, there is a different use of these two words. House, for me, it is a construction with a point just to live in. Like when being asked “how many houses you’ve got?” it is mentioned about concrete objects. Although nowadays there are various forms of houses, but to make each house a home isn’t easy, since I have mentioned that you will think of your house as a home, you must have like more than just a residence but to have a relationship or feeling attached to the house and many memories in it and it don’t matter at all that how big or small or even the number of your family members your house have .

Food: Fast Food

One culture about food, fast food has never been left out; it is of course food with fast.

How is it in everyday life of one person?

-As the main factor for living

  Apart from clothing, medicine and residence, surely, everybody has to eat for living, but sometimes fast food lover may be thought as living for eating since it makes you gain weight and barely to find nutrients.

-As a quick meal when in rush

  As every society of every country now was so busy that workers could not even have time for fulfill their greed. Fast food is the first choice among them, since it is 10-15 bites to finish them, I mean if you are really really in a hurry.

-As for one’s party or meeting

  As you can see from, kid’s birthday party or even a growing-up’s party as a result from eating every day, fast food can be found in the pile of food provided.

How it can be popular?

-The taste

  The taste must be considered first thing first when choosing fast food restaurant and such restaurants have their own best-seller parts.

Here I have fast-food restaurants of everyone’s mind.

Mc Donald’s

-When I think of Mc, I think of a happy meal with a cute toy in it. I believe that everyone who orders this menu would want only the toy without a need of eating, although some may want it and a toy as a plus. Although this meal is aimed for kids, it is adults who actually buy it for their collections and all, until it becomes popular that you have all collections of toys that they release each month especially toys making from movie or cartoon characters. In some country, the toys aren’t all released like US have 8, but Thailand has 4, it is a mission for collectors to find it all until it reach 8 in order to be superior than others.

Furthermore, for party, Mc is chosen to be a place for kid’s party or birthday since the condition are really for kids and also some branch has a playground with toys for them, so Mc is especially for kids. For workers, it is burgers and one glass of coffee or coke for them.

KFC

- KFC is kind of familiar to Mc but, when you want to have fried chicken, you have to go to KFC as their fried chicken is very tasty than others, I’m sure everybody knows this fact. But to eat it, it has to be sitting in because it isn’t that easy to walk in a rush and eat it. So KFC is not much famous among workers. But KFC has created the culture of fried chicken well in people.

 Burger King

-As a name itself, burger king, that means they have quite confidence in their taste of burgers, and it really is. I think this restaurant best suits workers need since it has several of grab-and-go menus and not have anything that to sit in.

In addition, now food delivery to home is one factor that makes people eat it more and it is easy for hungers to eat it without wasting time to reach the real place, but you can have it at your home. So the food-delivery culture is gaining more customers as there are many restaurants start to follow this idea.

 Of course there are more of fast-food restaurants in every county’s society. These three are just examples of how fast food can be popular culture in everyday life.

Music Culture in Thailand

   Thais have lived with Music forever. People from every age, gender listen to music. It is surrounding us every where. How?

• as a subject
• as entertainment
• as an influence
• as for emotional feeling

    You can listen to music anywhere depending on your desire, in you iPods or mp3, but not in the place in silence like library. Even when you are tired of work or study, music is a good tool for relieving your chaotic mind.

    Thais have many favorite genres of music like pop, rock, country, and also international

    First I would mention about Thai pop music, although it is not popular as American, Japanese, or Korean, as a Thai, I find Thai music issue was interesting when analyzing it

    Thai has such many good artists and now I’ve got to think about female singer. In Thailand, I would think of a single than a group because now Thailand has less girl group since there was an outside influence all over the country, it of course affect the music business. But to look on the other side, the single is easier to recognize than group as she uses her real name representing herself than the name of band and not have less trouble than forming bands.

        To talk about feminine here, I would think about Parn Thanaporn, she is counted to be the aggressive one with love thought. Her songs strongly mention about women and love which most of them are the sad part of relationships as her album’s name also has power to the listener, secondly, Panadda Rueangwud, also her signature is a song about women as the third hand of the relationship

         The result of having listened to those songs of these two artists, it can be said that it is too harsh to listen, if you are in a garden or having some lunch, or even if you are happy. I think it would work if your life now is facing these kinds of problems; it would make you into it so so much, as I have an experience myself as well.

           As I have stated that there are various genres, there is one singer I’m thinking of is Tata Young, her genre is pop with a modest issue of songs, but mostly aim at her look and performance than singing. So it is affected people especially in hermaphrodites, or “Gra-toey” in Thai. How? They copy every step of her body from style of hair to shoes and also her performance and how she talks to fans in concert. Tata is a signature of a sexy young woman with confidence. With that her song, look, and performance, her songs doesn’t go through Thai, but international. So she has fans from around world.

       To talk about international, I’ve got to think about Korean influence since it’s influenced Thailand and I’m one of the people who take and consume it. In my opinion, I think it is the one that eliminated Japanese culture. First thing first, not many Thais are listening to Korean because they love the meaning of songs, it’s quite accurate that people would rather try to sing and dance like them first than opening the internet and looking for the meaning, but it is because of the good-looking appearance, interesting performance of those Korean artists. To illustrate, it is for sure “Girl’s Generation”, I will exemplify since they was my favorite group right now.  I’ve a conclusion that why they have such fame is that

1. Their look and appearance like the costume are beautiful even people know with their heart that it is surgery.
2. Their songs are catchy with rhythm and all.   

Like the song “Tell me your wish”, the song is so sexy and makes me wanna dance every time I hear it, also including fashion, the costume the girls use when performing is in the theme of “sailor” but to increase more sexy with shorts which is also signature of the girls and song too.

Resulting, Thais especially teenagers copy them all, what it is obvious is that the hair style and even rename themselves as similar as the singers they are in love with. Also Thais always present what they have copied through the competitions opening around some center of the city which for me, it looks weird to me sometimes.