I happened to be strolling through the campus of Chulalongkorn University the other day, recalling the halcyon days of yore when I managed to completely avoid the traditional university experience and instead start working. It really is a beautiful campus, with lots of trees, plenty of green space, and students in their black and white uniforms hustling to classes or lectures or…whatever it is that students do in Thailand. It seems to be a much different experience than we have in universities in Canada. It seems somehow from a more quaint time, where the students are less jaded and bitter – I half expeected to see pep rallies and cheerleaders. Anyway, as I was strolling I stopped to get some coffee and have a seat, and saw this sign on the bench.

It looks like a heart, but then you realize it's the shape of an ass. Perhaps that's what we've been putting on Valentine's Day cards all along?

It looks like a heart, but then you realize it’s the shape of an ass. Perhaps that’s what we’ve been putting on Valentine’s Day cards all along?

It’s nothing really newsworthy, but it was a nice little touch of ‘Thinglish’ that made me smile. I do wonder if it was an art project sanctioned by the university to brighten things up a bit, or just some random graffiti. If it’s the latter, kudos to the artist, who avoided the usual swear words and crude drawings and instead opted for something cute. I do wonder, though, if this will be picked up by students as a colloquialism and imported into the popular language. I can imagine visiting an office or a business and having the secretary say, “Mr. Somchai will be with you in a few minutes. Please put your ass.”