We are...คือเรารักกัน (We are... we are in love)

Chapter 4: Start Working (Part 1)

Multi-purpose area in front of Faculty of Fine Arts is never quiet, even in the early morning. In fact, no matter what time it is, our Faculty is never quiet. It could say it opens almost 24 hours to compete with convenience stores. Even if you walk in here at 2:00 a.m., you will see people sitting and sculpting clay, drawing pictures, making wire jewelry, practicing for performances. There were some people running or working out. They set up a group to play Ouija, play rubber band jump robes, braid hairs, burn incense sticks, scrape bark asking for lottery numbers, throw cast net to catch fish in the pond, burn charcoal, etc. Whatever you do not expect to see, you will see them here. We gather everything here in one place as a one stop service. There are strange activities to see at any time. Please come to watch at your own convenience.

*ผีถ้วยแก้ว Thai style Ouija
** Thai people revere the Takhian tree for the ability of the Lady Deva spirit within it to be able to reveal lottery numbers. The distinctive feature of this tree is the resin inside the wood. When someone scrapes its bark, the resin inside may bleed out and react with the air, causing dark traces. In addition, scratching sometimes accidentally creates numbers. This causes one to look at these traces with hope and create the imagination of numbers.

I left my house from dawn, carrying coconut banana rolls, traditional grilled pork, and shredded pork that friends had asked me to buy. Both my hands were full. Some days they underpaid me and some days I got some change. It's like playing Game Wat Duang. As for today, I got four baht change, which was considered a good omen.

*เกมวัดดวง Game Wat Duang (Game of Luck) is a game show was initially produced by GMM TV.

I let them enjoy their breakfast and possibly their only meal of the day. As for me, I quickly left to think about my own work because at 9am, I had to submit my homework of Sketch Class Drawing to Professor Na, also known as Professor Po, but the name that has stuck with everyone is Napoleon.

Professor Na is a very kind man and one of the famous artists in Thailand. He is a senior and is loved by students. Sometimes he is a drinking buddy who joins our drinking circle. He even played football with us. Maybe because the age difference is not much, we can understand each other well. If I remember correctly, he just celebrated his thirty-sixth birthday two months ago. It is the fact that most professors of Fine Arts are like this, preferring being friends with students rather than other professors. Sometimes they were close to the point of being Q's lottery customers.

As for the sketch, I still haven't finished thinking about it. To put it simply, it's like submitting a sample of homework. When you're done a class, the teacher will give you homework. Sometimes the topic is given to you, sometimes you are free to choose. Then they let us think about what we would do and then take that idea and share it with the professor about what format we would make, what technique will be used, why do you want to do it? Briefly describe the concept as if it were a compilation of ideas.

The teacher will give suggestions and advices in case there are somethings that we may not have thought of or overlooked, but we are not forced to take them. In the end, it was up to us to choose how to do it. It is a one-on-one conversation for ten to fifteen minutes. While I was talking with our teacher, other friends who had finished talking or had not yet reached their turn did their own work. Some of them were sleeping, some were cooking instant noodles in the back of the room. Of course, our Professor didn't say anything. Just now, Q just came to ask him for money to buy chicken eggs to add to Mama (instant noodles).

"As far as I can see, it's interesting, but I still doesn't quite understand the concept." Professor Napoleon said with a smile, circling the pencil on a blank paper until it formed several overlapping circles. Then he continued, "I think that if I saw the work during the presentation, I would get a clearer picture. I noticed that Peem often worked with rivers and canals, even the work that have given topics, you still use water as an element. Do you have a reason or you're just interested in water?"