Talk back

Letter of the week

ENGLISH WIZARD

Hello there. I have been learning English for six years now, although two years ago � even though I had been learning English for four years � I was still unable to speak, write or listen with confidence. I always hid when I met a foreigner because my English was so bad and I didn�t know much about English grammar.

I always bought Student Weekly to �watch� every week. In other words, because I couldn�t read English, I just flicked through the magazine, looking at the pictures.

Then I saw Harry Potter in Student Weekly � or rather, the good-looking Daniel Radcliffe who stars in the films. I was so interested in him that I bought the Harry Potter VCD. This made me a lot more interested in learning English and now I often go to the library to read English textbooks. I have read more than 20 books, and before I go to bed, I always have a pretend conversation with Daniel using a dictionary and his photograph.

My English is improving and I have fun whenever I study the subject. I hope that someday I will talk to Daniel Radcliffe with confidence.

Now I�m very proud whenever I speak or read English because I would estimate that 70 percent of my study has been by myself! �Where there�s a will, there�s a way� is really true. You can do anything if you have got the will power.

I don�t mind if you comment about the mistakes in this letter because failure will teach me further success.

Jirayu Anantawan, Roi Et

Your letter wasn�t perfect, Jirayu, but it wasn�t the worst I have read. How about comparing the edited version above with your original and making notes? Don�t forget that we have our own �style,� though. As an example, we use the word �percent� not the symbol �%.� This doesn�t mean you are wrong to use it, but all publications will edit stories and letters to fit with their style so everything is standardised. � Editor

PROBLEMS IN PATTANI

I think that disturbances in our nation in whatever form could destroy the economy of our country. I am from Pattani province where there are crimes committed almost every day. More importantly, policemen, religious leaders, government staff and staff from the public health office are victims.

I�m afraid of the news reported about my town. Sometimes I have to look left and right while I am walking to school, even though the school is only 1 kilometre away from my house. I don�t know when I may be one of the victims.

However, sometimes I feel unhappy with some newspaper reports that report incidents inaccurately � these can be equally dangerous. In Pattani, we really live a normal life.

Wittree Cheh-koh, Pattani

Wittree, I am very much aware of the problems in the South right now. It�s also worrying that you feel that newspaper reports may give an inaccurate picture of the troubles. It is the job of any news organisation to report the facts as they become available and as reliably as possible. Unfortunately, many of these facts get clouded by other issues and also become out of date as new evidence or new facts come to light. However, I do find your letter confusing because first you talk about the crimes, victims and your own worries, then you say you lead a normal life. If this letter was a source for a news story, can you see how it might be confusing? � Editor

SEX IN THE CITY

Last week when was I listening to a news programme, I heard something shocking; in fact it gave me a pain in my heart. I would like to share my bad feelings about the story with readers of Student Weekly. The news was about how a group of teenage girls have fun with a sex game called �Get Them for Award.�

The members of the group hang around the RCA area late at night and choose a guy who they eventually sleep with. The top �prize� is 3,000 baht for a handsome guy, followed by 2,000 baht for a normal guy and 1,000 baht for a guy who is not handsome or smart.

I am not only worried about those girls, but also about our Thai culture, parents and the country as a whole.

Rachen Sultan Musahudeen, Bangkok

Teenagers will always experiment with sex, Rachen, although I do agree this is a very extreme example. And where do the girls get the money? There are several easy solutions to this �problem.� The first is to implement the curfew as proposed by the government; the second is to beef up security around RCA (after all, it is a designated �entertainment zone�) and have police catch anyone suspected of wrongdoing. The last suggestion isn�t such a quick fix and needs an integrated approach: Parents, teachers and other responsible adults should have the maturity and sense to teach kids about the rights and wrongs of sex and the sort of trouble they could get into, such as unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, violence and even prostitution. � Editor

DAILY DIARY

I would like to tell you about my daily routine. I get up at 6 a.m. and spend about an hour having a shower and breakfast. After that, I go to school. My first lesson starts at 8:30 a.m. and the last one finishes at 4 p.m. I love school because I learn a lot and have many friends.

When I return from school, I go to the local swimming pool. I can swim well because I started to learn when I was just 5 and now I�m nearly 14!

After I come back from the pool, I do my homework then have dinner. This is the time I enjoy the most because I can talk to everyone in my family. If I have some problems, I can ask for suggestions from my parents. I continue my daily life by playing games or chatting on the Internet before I go to bed. And you? How about your daily life?

Duangduan Nantamongkolkul, Songkhla

You have a very full day, Duangduan � probably a lot more interesting than mine. Here�s my routine: I get up later than I should at about 8 a.m. (I work late at home to make up for it) then eat my breakfast. Then I take a taxi to work and start my day by checking my email. I might have meetings or I might discuss the current issue or front cover with the writers and designers before lunch. Normally, I finish work at around 5:30 p.m., return home and eat my dinner. After that, I usually read the Bangkok Post or finish up any work left over from the day. After that, it�s TV time! While I occasionally get to mix with famous singers and movie stars as well as enjoy posh lunches with my bosses and hi-so types, life as an editor isn�t as glamorous as you may think! � Editor

Vocabulary

inaccurate (adj): not exact or accurate; with mistakes
cloud (v): in this use, if something clouds your judgment, memory, etc., it makes it difficult for you to understand or remember something clearly
flick through (phrasal v): to turn the pages of a book, etc. quickly and look at them without reading everything
will power (n): the ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve what you want to do
implement (v): to make something that has been officially decided start to happen or be used
integrated (adj): in which many different parts are closely connected and work successfully together

Idioms

(to) come to light: to become known to people
(to) beef up: to make something bigger, better, more interesting, etc.

Your face in Student Weekly!

Send us a photo with your letter and we�ll put it in the magazine. It�s that simple! Photos must not be copied from anywhere else and we cannot guarantee return of the originals, so best email them to us.