The balmy Bangkok weather seems to lead to barmy behaviour
     
      SUMATI SIVASIAMPHAI
     
      "LAMPANG NAO MAAAK!"
     
      Weather updates on Facebook, Twitter or Hi5 take on a life of their own. Anybody who reports on the weather thinks they just discovered what "cold" means: "Woke up to a shining sun, but a strange chilly sensation permeates the air," someone might write. Did we mention some updates can be poetically lame as well?
     
      People enable this behaviour by furiously commenting on weather-related statuses, with inane remarks such as, "Had to wear a sweater!" and "What a nice day!" They also act like the breezy weather is a blessing purely for them - not because of a high pressure system from China - with updates such as, "Ate some soup because it's freeeezing in Bangkok".
     
      First of all, how would people in the north and northeast of Thailand feel seeing that status, where many don't have adequate supplies to combat low temperatures (which are much lower than Bangkok's, even reaching 4.2 degrees Celsius in Nakhon Phanom in January 2009)? Secondly, Bangkok has never hit 0 degrees Celsius, so it's not technically "freeeezing".
     
      On the bright side, without the fresh weather, the update would say, "Ate some soup," and anyone reading that would immediately become 99.9 per cent more stupid.
     
      WINTER GARB GALORE
     
      We all love an excuse to buy things based on the latest seasonal trends. Fine, when else will Bangkokians have a legitimate reason to wear a trench coat, gloves, and cover up with a scarf without looking like they're about to rob a 7-Eleven?
     
      But how different is the cold weather outside from the temperatures we constantly experience inside department stores, offices or the skytrain? Disregarding this fact, people use a tinge of cold weather to justify a massive shopping spree for winter clothes.
     
      The worst part isn't even that these items are only practical for about eight days of the year. It's that people will wear a puffy jacket with shorts and sandals. It's that people will wear mittens with a tank top. It's that people will don scarves while going shirtless. We're no physicists or anything, but isn't that a little counteractive? Oh right, we believe the scientific term is "foolish".
     
      CONSTANT AMAZEMENT AT CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
     
      To join the ranks of adults who behave like they've never seen Christmas decorations in their life, you'll need the following:
     
      A digital camera (with intent to use).
     
      An appreciation of the small things in life.
     
      A disregard for people around you as you fight your way to the best spot next to Christmas trees and reindeer figurines.
     
      Temporary amnesia to help you forget that Christmas displays are basically the same every year.
     
      A moth-like tendency to gravitate to shiny objects and flashy things.
     
      PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR HOMES
     
      "What's the big deal about people leaving home?" you whine. "People leave home all the time when they become adults or emancipate themselves." However, given the high probability that your 35-year-old-self still lives at home, the "leaving" in question means venturing outdoors regularly. We know! It's such a foreign concept during the hot and rainy months of the year. We don't know about you, but we like laughing at sweaty pedestrians... from the safety of our air-conditioned car.
     
      But as soon as the weather is pleasant, everybody wants to get a piece of the outdoor pie. Beer gardens set up on sidewalks, outdoor concerts are held in parks, and people don't dash straight to their vehicles. In fact, some even choose to partake in a strange movement known as "walking"!
     
      Of course, there's nothing wrong with treating every cold day as if it were the last, but imagine if Bangkokians behaved like this all year round; it would save tremendously on energy, reduce pollution and indicate that we need more outdoor space in the city. Bangkokians showing concern for the environment? Now, that would be the most peculiar trait of all.