There's no need to ask her what the first thing she did yesterday was.
For Wararat Krasae went to vote in the general election, of course. And living in a Democrat Party-dominated area, as she does, she knew she had to be at the polling station as early as possible in order to minimise the possibility of anti-government protesters blocking her way.
Wararat better known on social media sites as "Sao Waen Jud Tian" (The girl with glasses who lit the candle) joined the candle-lit event on January 10 in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in order to express her support for going ahead with the election. But she was expelled from the venue by other campaigners, apparently because they misread the sign she was carrying. Since then, the young pro-democracy activist has been carrying this sign around with her ever since, trying to convince people to exercise their right to vote on February 2.
Her belief in the importance of using the ballot box to effect change in a democracy is reflected in the wording on her sign: "If you want to kill corruption, end Thasinocracy, it must be done in the next election."
Which book is currently on your bedside table?
Most of the books I keep next to my bed are pictorial: art books by Taschen, which reproduces works by favourite artists of mine, and Japanese manga [comics]. I can look at then without having to read anything. They relax me and I never get bored looking at them. "The Missing Piece" by Shel Silverstein and "Klimt" by Gilles Neret are the ones I've been picking up most often lately.
Paper or e-books?
I prefer actual books because I often read in the park and I find it difficult to read a screen when I'm outdoors. But I get a lot of my news from reading websites.
As a person who's perceived in social media sites as something of a pro-democracy icon, are there any books you would recommended to people trying to understand your political point of view?
I'd like to recommend "1984" by George Orwell, which was one of the titles on my reading list at college. It tells all about a dictatorship that gradually takes over the lives and mind of the people. The most interesting part of the book is when the two protagonists sneak out into the forest to vent their frustration, not realising that that their conversation is being bugged. In the end, they are hunted down by the government. For anyone who doesn't know what dictatorship governments are like, I would recommend this book. As you read it, try to imagine how the world would be if people didn't have a private life, happiness, and the right to express their opinions, because everyone's life lacks freedom and is controlled and surveilled by the government.
Have you ever been disappointed after reading well-known books or titles that were recommended to you?
Yes. Not all of the SEA Write Award-winning titles were to my taste; some were so unimpressive that I wasn't able to finish them. The latter tended to be titles that were chosen by relatively small committees; we need to study the reading taste of those judges. If we're going to go out and buy books merely because they are being promoted as being "good" by a small group of people who get to set the trends every year, then some of these awards should be decided by [ordinary] readers so that we will have a greater choice of reading material at our disposal.
What's your all-time-favourite book?
I can't remember how many times I've read "Lady with the Dog and Other Stories" by Anton Chekhov. I break down and cry every time I read it. I like the way Chekhov doesn't repeatedly preach to us about morality. Most of his short stories centre around adultery, but this one is my favourite. As the two main characters begin to free themselves, they also start to accept the truth and adjust their behaviour so as to maintain the relationship.
Are there any books you really want to read but still haven't managed to start?
"The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, which was recommended by a friend. I borrowed it from the same friend over a year ago [but haven't begun it yet]. Kerouac writes about religion, spirituality, Buddhism and Zen, as well as ''yab yum'' [Buddhist rituals]. In his previous work, "On the Road", he made friends with some very extreme characters. I'd like to meet more of his extreme friends, a type I haven't managed to find in real life, in this book.
