While I was sitting in Self Access Center at AUA, a Cambodian guy greeted me so I moved from the seat in front of the computer to the group table and started having conversation..I was feeling calm till one point that guy kept talking about thai soap opera on TV, “I don’t like seeing it, it’s always full of envious and jealous ladies ..screaming..yelling and slapping all the time.” He then turned to Chinese lady opposite him, “You think so? It’s not like other countries’ like Chinese, for example, there are dramas, comedy and other stuff, right?” – – Abruptly, I thought I had listened enough so I responsed back that it’s just Thai, other countries’ movies have different things, too like at the end of American movies, “kissing scene”. It’s not wrong, it’s not right, it’s just different.
Now I realize what I said to him was too harsh~ wish I could explain it all over again after I remember one story..
During my mum’s youth life, she had always been “pretty” wherever she went, village, school, other provinces..everywhere. She was even asked to be Thai actress but because she’s shy so she denied it.
“When she was a teenager, guys came to her dorm a lot..some driving mercedez, some bicycles..some even walk just to see her door ~ was already enough for them,” Granny said.
mum on the left
Then one day, mum decided to hang out with one guy, that broke loads of guys’ hearts. They were together for years then one day it’s over, “I didn’t know what happened to both of them, I just saw they were so cute together, so loved each other..somehow your mum dated your daddy and that guy hurt himself by slitting his wrist and was sent to the hospital, ur mum didn’t care.”
mum – 21 years old
Before long, mum got married with Daddy and that’s how all soap operas began..
Daddy graduated from Germany and his family that time was pretty rich and hi-so. Mum’s from somewhere close to the ground. Daddy’s mum and his family didn’t accept her.. moreover, they even hated her. Mum was used there as a servant, had to wash all dishes, cleaned the whole house and washed everybody’s clothes. Sometimes when she just woke up, she found her clothes full of holes..Daddy’s mum and his sister made them by joss sticks. Also whenever she did or said anything, she was always neglected or sometimes scolded for having no manner. Even worse, daddy started to be drunk all the time.. he didn’t care about anything but his alcohol drinks and his glasses. He sometimes had no money left but did everything to get alcohol, “He even used money your mum was about to buy milk for your brother to satisfy himself by loads of alcohol,” Granny sadly said. In spite of being care about my mother, my father kicked, hit, slapped my mum like a doggy in the streets. He threw Bomb, my brother, against the table or the room’s corner, too if he couldn’t get money to buy some spiritous liquor. It’s all because of him getting darn plastered. Mum didn’t have a job, my granny had few money from shuffling cards plus daddy and his family seemed to lack of care about that, despite no toys to play but sand and rocks outside, Bomb started to have no more food to eat, milk to drink and love from warm family to gloat..
Mum finally decided to move here to Samutprakarn (those stories happened in Korat) then I was about to be born. My mum was pregnant and had to take care of both Bomb and me..too much for her so she took Bomb to my aunt’s house and told her to bring him up. He’s born to be pretty nice guy and now he’s got pretty nice job but I can see when he’s here sometimes..can see that he wants mum.. but nothing can be restarted again now.. she already chose what she thought was the best for us already.
You may see we cannot really seperate soap opera from real life.. Thai soap opera may not be made to annoy people..it may be made to teach us about the world based on real life. People refuse to watch it because it’s really annoying..or some may know it’s real so they want to avoid.. both cases could happen to that guy ~ but what about you?
