A comedy legend with a passion for preservation

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A comedy legend with a passion for preservation

05/02/2012 : To millions of Thai soap opera fans, Anand Bunnag is a popular comedy actor, but those who know him well are aware that he is also a serious plant lover and conservationist of native Thai flora and fauna. We were discussing orchids with Anand after dinner at his home recently and he offered to show us his latest collection. ''The atmosphere is different if you look at plants at night,'' he said, and with a torch in hand he led us to his greenhouse.
The Food Fights Back

03/02/2012 : Over the past several years, the Japanese food craze has proliferated around the world. Nippon restaurants are mushrooming in large cities worldwide, while much of the Japanese culinary lexicon is comfortably entering the world's dictionaries.

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LIVING GREEN
Recurring nightmare
02/02/2012 : Winter has finally gone _ for a while, maybe. It is supposed to be arid in the country this time of year. People are worrying if the draught would be more drastic in times of climate change. Typically, January is the period when we have to start stocking up water in our dams for irrigation as the Thai economy depends greatly on agriculture.
Green Fair opens next week
02/02/2012 : We can all do our bit to save the world by living an environmentally-friendly existence. For those thinking of adopting a greener lifestyle, the place to visit is Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts, venue for the fifth annual Green Fair. It opens on February 9 and continues from 10am to 8pm until Feb 12.
A test of endurance
01/02/2012 : Essilor and Active Management Asia is holding the 6th edition of the popular "Essilor Bangkok Eco Challenge" adventure race on Feb 11, with participants being flagged off at 8:30am from the Korean International School in Nong Chok district of Bangkok.
SMART CHOICE
Look to the bright side
30/01/2012 : There's always a positive side to every bad luck. For those whose houses were hit by floods last year, this is a good time to rearrange your homes and welcome the Year of the Dragon. Damage caused by floodwater makes it easier for you to decide which pieces to throw away and which to keep, and where exactly the new furniture should be placed.
ON THE WILD SIDE
Still bobbing and weaving
30/01/2012 : As the sun starts its daily ascent from the eastern horizon, the early morning air is crisp and cool. It's November and not a single cloud is to be seen in the clear blue sky. Heavy dew blankets everything in Mae Lao-Mae Sae, a wildlife sanctuary situated in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Mist rises from the forest as the morning heat builds. The scent from pine trees, some hundreds of years old, is refreshing. A sea of fog covers the lowland valleys and the view from the mountaintop is truly breathtaking.
Jack of all trades
29/01/2012 : James Anderson wants to know what causes the fruit of a large jackfruit tree behind the school where he teaches in Thung Lung, Songkhla province, to turn black and rot. "The fruit are huge _ the size of the trunk of a small child _ but they are covered with disease," he wrote. " [They have] large gaping dark black or dark brown holes with putrid brown juices dripping from them, and all eventually just fall to the ground rotten.
Feast of lights
23/01/2012 : THE FORTHCOMING Kadeejeen art and culture festival from Friday to Sunday, January 29 promises to be an extraordinary event in which visitors can appreciate great art, enjoy exquisite music and explore culinary adventure.
The wood that could
22/01/2012 : During a trip to the Philippines in November, I tried to find an old schoolmate I hadn't contacted since high school. I was told his family had moved, and that he now owned a furniture shop. As I had promised a mutual friend that I would find him, I looked for him where I was told he had moved, along a country road lined by gmelina trees. I did not find him, but I did learn something.
Overcoming obstacles to orchid growing
15/01/2012 : Lynda Smit wrote that she would like to learn more about orchids. ''We live in Bangkok and I would like to fill our home with orchids. But where do I purchase them?'' she asked. ''And how do I look after them? I did a lot of researching and found different information.''
EART HALERT
Heady times
12/01/2012 : It seems years ago that Bo Nok made headlines when residents of this village in Prachuap Khiri Khan stood up to powers that be and kept out a coal-fired power plant planned for their neighbourhood.